
Glass SF^I 
Book -%k3 






CANINE PATHOLOGY, 

OR A 

FULL DESCRIPTION 

OF THE 
WITH THEIR 

.MPTOMS, AND MODE OF CURE : 

Being the Whole of the Author's 

Curatfoe $rarttce, 

DURING TWENTY YEARS' EXTENSILE EXPERIENCE. 
Interspersed with numerous 
MARKS ON THE GENERAL TREATMENT OF THESE ANIMALS, 

AND PRECEDED BT AN 

INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER 

ON 

The Moral Qualities of the Dog. 



BY DELABERE BLAINE, 

• / 

Veterinary Surgeon, and Professor of Animal Medicine in general. 




P. uxv — -=== - •■ - Auit i„ iC 



Honton : 

PRINTED FOR T. BOOSEY, 
4, Broad Street, Exchange. 

1817. 



\ 






^~ 



re 



Contents, 



ra^* 



Diseases of Dogs . . \ 

Mode of administering Remedies 4 

Age of Bogs 8 

-Alteratives g 

Asthma 1 j 

Astringents .. jg 

Bathing ,g 

Bladder, inflamed is 

Bleeding .^ 

Blindness , Q 

Blisters , Q 

Bloody Urine %q 

Bowels, constipated 20 

Bowels, inflamed 20 

Bowels, loose 20 

Breeding . 20 

Bronchocele «, 

Cancer . 

Canker zvithin the Ear \ 6 

Canker on the Outside of the Ear . . ." ' g 8 

Canker on the Flap of the Ear . . ' o 9 

Castration J* 

Cataract . 

Claws, dew ... " A 

• * • • y« 

A 



CONTENTS. 

Clysters 1 

Colic \S 

Condition 35 

Costiveness 36 

Cough 37 

Cramp . . "* 

Cropping . 

Diarrhoea 

Dislocations 

Distemper 

Dropsy ^ 

Ears, sore . . 58 

Emetics .58 

Epilepsy 59 

Exercise 59 

Eyes, Diseases of 6l 

Eyelids, ulcerated . . 64 

Fatness, excessive ... ..... 64 

Feeding of Dogs . . 65 

Feet, sore ' .... 73 

Fever . . • .73 

Fits 73 

Fleas . 76 

Fractures 77 

Glandular Sivellings . . . . • . . .80 

Gravel ........ 80 

Hemorrhage 80 

Head, swelled 81 

Husk .81 



CONTENTS 

Page 

Hydr . . 81 

Infla 81 

Infla 3 . 81 

Inflame ... 82 

Infla 87 

In y gs 89 

jmach 92 

, or Purging .92 

go 96 

gs, inflamed 96 

adness 96 

Mange 132 

Neck, swelled 141 

Paralysis, or Palsy 141 

Physic - . . 142 

Piles 143 

Poisons 144 

Polypus 146 

Pulse 147 

Pupping and Puppies 148 

Rabies 151 

Rheumatism 151 

Rickets 154 

Schirrus 155 

Scrotum, inflamed 158 

Setons 158 

Sickness, excessive 159 

Spasm 160 

Spaying 161 



CONTENTS. 

Stomach, inflamed . . . 162 

Stone in Dogs .......... 162 

St. Anthony's Fire . I6S 

St. Vitus' s Dance - . . 163 

Surfeits 165 

Swellings 164 

Tailing of Puppies . .164 

Teats, swelled 164 

Testicles, diseased . . . 164 

Throat, swelled 164 

Tumours 164 

Ulcerous Affections 165 

Urine, bloody 167 

Warts in Dogs .168 

Washing of Dogs 168 

Wens ......: 168 

Worming 168 

Worms * 170 

Wounds 173 

Diseases of Cats ......... 175 




preface. 



The great importance of those animals we now 
call domestic, must have been discovered at a very 
early period, and it is probable that their subju- 
gation soon followed ; but it was not until long 
after, that any active or successful attempts were 
made to meliorate the sufferings necessarily 
brought on them by confinement and artificial 
habits. At length, however, the increasing va- 
lue of horses and of horned cattle forced some 
attention to their complaints, while those of dogs 
were passed over and neglected, even to the pre- 
sent time j their ailments having hitherto received 



11 PREFACE. 



no other alleviation than what could be gained 
from the experience of the sportsman, or the sa- 
pience of the groom. This neglect is the more 
to be wondered at, when we reflect, that the utility 
and good qualities of the canine race have been 
also celebrated for ages. It is not, therefore, 
without some pride and self-approbation I reflect, 
that I am the first person in this country who has 
systematized and brought forward a regular me- 
dical treatment of the diseases of these animals, 
founded on a knowledge of their anatomy and 
animal economy ; with a long and attentive ob- 
servation of their morbid appearances. 

Nevertheless, neither the importance of the 
subject, nor the utility of a judicious attention to 
it, has saved me from reproach ; for, having 
been educated as a human surgeon, and having 
practised, with some success, both privately and 
in the army, it greatly offended my relations, 
and surprised my friends and acquaintances, that 
I should degrade myself by the study of the dis- 
eases of animals. It was thought sufficiently 
derogatory to my early pursuits, that I had sig- 
nalized myself among horses ; but my attention 
to the medical treatment of dogs subjected me 



PREFACE. lit 

to an imputation of a want of common pride, 
and an utter disrespect for my former character 
and habits. To the liberal minded 1 may, 
however, safely plead in answer to these re- 
proaches, — that any pursuit in which humanity 
and usefulness are so conspicuous, as in this, 
ought not only to exonerate the pursuer from 
disgrace, but to secure him the approbation of 
every humane and benevolent mind. 

If other excuses were necessary to justify this 
deviation from the regular track of my profes- 
sion, I might plead, besides, an early and en- 
thusiastic attachment to the brute creation, the 
powerful operation of accidental circumstances ; 
which will, perhaps, be best explained by giving 
the following 

SKETCH OF MY PROFESSIONAL LIFE. 

At fourteen years of age I was placed with an 
eminent surgeon and apothecary in Buckingham- 
shire, with whom I remained the customary period 
of seven years. As his practice was extensive, 
and I was a considerable portion of the time his 
only assistant, so I reaped much advantage from 
being early brought into the habit of visiting the 

b2 



IV PREFACE. 

sick. At the expiration of the above period, I 
removed to the Borough Hospitals, where I re- 
mained two years. From the industry I dis- 
played in these situations, in embracing' the 
various opportunities that presented themselves 
for the acquisition of medical knowledge ; from 
my known attachment to animals *, and likewise 
from the progress I had made in comparative 
anatomy, I was thought a proper person to be 
recommended to instruct the pupils of the Vete- 
rinary College in the art of dissecting ; and to 
translate and demonstrate the public lectures of 
M. St. Bel, who had been appointed Professor 
of the infant concern. In this situation I re- 
mained about twelve months, when some impo- 
litic attempts of mine to correct the anatomical 
errors of M. St. Bel, made him wisely conclude, 
that it would not be prudent to retain any one 
about him who knew more than himself (which, 
as an anatomist, was little indeed), and I was in 
consequence dismissed. During this period I 
had, however, imbibed so strong an attachment 
to veterinary medicine, that I commenced a pub- 
lic practice of it at Lewes in Sussex, where 1 also 
gave a popular course of lectures on the subject. 
This situation was likewise particularly favour- 



PREFACE. 



able to the study of the diseases of Oxen and 
Sheep, which I did not neglect, and in which I 
was greatly assisted by the liberality of some of 
the Sussex farmers, who furnished me with sub- 
jects. It was during these inquiries, that I also 
made the discovery of the celebrated Remedy for 
the Distemper in Dogs, which has been so long 
and so deservedly appreciated. But, as I was a 
stranger to the practice of economy at that time, 
my expenditure so far exceeded my income, that 
I was under the necessity of relinquishing my 
veterinary pursuits for a time, and of accepting 
an ensigncy and assistant-surgeoncy in the East 
Middlesex Militia, where I remained till General 
Gwynne, knowing my attachment to horses, 
offered me a cornetcy in the 1st Fencibles (soon 
after made the 25th Dragoons). Most unwisely 
I refused this advantageous offer, but expressed 
a wish to obtain a surgeoncy to one of the troops 
of Horse Artillery. With that urbanity peculiar 
to the General, and which I have experienced in 
many other instances, he obtained it for me ; and 
in this excellent corps I remained more than two 
years, profiting, in my experience of human me- 
dicine, from the judicious management of the 
Woolwich Hospital, under the late ingenious Dr. 



VI PREFACE. 

Rollo, and, in brute medicine, from the circum- 
stance of all the sick horses of that establishment 
being* placed under my immediate inspection and 
direction. 

At the request of my relatives I, however, left 
the army practice, and settled as a Surgeon in 
the neighbourhood of Queen Square, London, 
where I first published the Folio Edition of tlie 
Anatomy of the Horse. But fate, at that time, 
seemed to have ordained that I should not remain 
long in one situation ; for, after a twelvemonth's 
residence here, I came into the possession of a 
considerable fortune by the death of a relation, 
which induced me to retire into the country. 
Unfortunately I had not yet gained a prudential 
mode of managing money, and, after living ex- 
pensively as a country gentleman for a few years, 
I found myself again under the necessity of enter- 
ing active life. During* this imprudent career, 
however, as much of my fortune was dissipated 
among horses and dogs, so it very considerably 
increased my experience, though the purchase 
was made at much too dear a rate. Irresolute as 
to my future plans, but unwilling to remain 
wholly idle, I accepted a commission in the North 



PREFACE. Vli 

Gloucester Regiment of Militia, and passed a 
campaign in Ireland during the Rebellion. In 
this regiment I remained two years ; prudence, 
however, dictated that this was doing nothing 
towards a re-establishment in life : on the an- 
nouncement, therefore, of the expedition to the 
Helder, I offered my services to the Medical 
Board 5 which being accepted, I was appointed 
Surgeon to the 2d Battalion of the 40th Foot, 
and immediately embarked with the corps for 
Holland. As this regiment particularly distin- 
guished itself, in proof of which, sixteen officers 
from the two battalions were killed or wounded 
in one engagement ; so my experience in the 
performing of operations, and the treatment of 
gunshot wounds, received very considerable ad- 
ditions. The command of the regiment devolv- 
ing into other hands on the retreat from Holland, 
rendered my situation much less agreeable than 
when commanded by the Earl Craven, by whom 
I had the honour of being always kindly noticed. 
In addition to which, Mr. Keats' wretched sys- 
tem of favouritism offering some other sources 
of disgust, I finally quitted the army, and re- 
tired for a twelvemonth into Northumberland, 
where my days were occupied in field sports, and 



Vlll PREFACE. 

my evening's in arranging* materials for the first 
edition of The Veterinary Outlines, 

But this plan of life likewise furnished no pro- 
spect of future advancement ; and, though will- 
ing to direct my energies to some useful purpose, 
I was wholly undetermined to what. The prac- 
tice of human medicine naturally presented itself 
foremost to my view ; yet it was an unpleasant 
reflection, that I had lost some years in my start, 
and that my cotemporaries, having the advantage 
of early residence, had outstripped me in the 
race, and established themselves in a professional 
practice, that it would probably take me some 
years to form. While thus irresolute what course 
to steer, the extensive success of the Distemper 
Remedy before-mentioned, having drawn me into 
numerous correspondencies relative to the dis- 
eases of dogs, I was irresistibly, and almost in- 
sensibly, drawn into a popular practice on them. 
This accidental circumstance seemed to point out 
a path at once eligible and useful, and one which 
my former predilections strengthened me in my 
determination to pursue. In this almost unbeaten 
track I might hope to reap both fame and emo- 
lument ; and although the practice of brute me- 



PREFACE. IX 

dicine might appear less honourable than that of 
the human ; yet in this instance it was hardly 
less useful, and, in my situation, the most pru- 
dent. Actuated by these motives, I abandoned 
my wanderings, and maintained a steady perseve- 
rance in these pursuits ; from whence has resulted 
that popular and extensive practice of the Vete- 
rinary Art, so well known in the British me- 
tropolis. 

With those who advocate the cause of huma- 
nity, I hope I may lay claim to some considera- 
tion ; my exertions having been arduous and 
unceasing for the improvement of this important 
branch of the healing art. A long experimental 
practice has been also followed up by a full 
account of the results, in writings that have re- 
ceived the meed of public approbation. The 
intentions I set out with I have adhered so rigidly 
to, that a tempting offer, made me some years 
ago, to go to India in my professional capacity, 
and a still more eligible and honourable invita- 
tion from Russia of later date, failed to move me. 
I remained fixed in my original plan, and I now 
reap the fruits of it in a well-earned reputation, 
and a moderate competence. 



X PREFACE. 

This little detail (which, as it affords nothing 
to boast of, cannot be dictated by vanity) is 
presented in hope that it may preserve for me 
some character for consistency with the numerous 
classes of persons who have known me in the 
various situations detailed. It may likewise 
gratify a curiosity that has, I believe, been some- 
times excited relative to the motives that influ- 
enced me to these pursuits. 

Having", therefore, sacrificed something* at the 
shrine of utility and humanity, and regarding 
myself as the very father of canine medicine, it 
may be supposed that I could not again witness 
its disuse without extreme regret. For, though 
nearly twenty years of unceasing attention to this, 
and the other branches of brute medicine, might 
have claimed the indulgences of future ease and 
repose ; yet they would have been but partially 
enjoyed by me, unless I had fortunately met with 
a person fully qualified to continue and extend 
the humane pursuit I was so long occupied upon. 
Mr. W. Youatt (the gentleman alluded to) was 
connected with me in the practice of Veterinary 
Medicine for some years before I retired ; and I 
can with truth affirm, that his abilities and expe- 



PREFACE. xi 

rience are only equalled by his humanity and 
attachment to the cause he is engaged in. To 
him, therefore, I have delegated, with confidence, 
the further advancement of this new branch of 
the healing art ; and to his attentions I would 
earnestly recommend that application may be 
made, whenever the assistance of an able veteri- 
narian is wanted. 

The short detail of the medical treatment of 
dogs, published by me some years ago under the 
title of a Domestic Treatise, was most favourably 
received, and passed through several editions. 
In each of these I promised, that I would, at a 
future time, present the public with a more com- 
plete and extended Work, which should embrace 
every thing that appeared to belong to the sub- 
ject. In the following pages I have endeavoured 
to redeem this pledge ; and, when it is consi- 
dered that the whole is strictly my own, not a 
line having been previously written by any other 
hand, from which even a hint could be obtained, 
the task may be regarded as a laborious one, and 
one in which some industry and attention to an 
important subject have been displayed. 



Xll PREFACE. 

The ice is now broken, the path to future 
improvement is pointed out and cleared of its 
thorns : what remains to be trodden over by 
future veterinarians may, therefore, be pursued 
without difficulty or disgust. To their atten- 
tions, and to those of the medical world in ge- 
neral, I would earnestly recommend it j and, as 
it has been my anxious endeavour to point out 
to them the humanity and importance of the 
subject, so it will prove the greatest addition to 
my future pleasures, to witness its further ad- 
vancement by their means. 




^ntrotntctton* 



Did the limits of the Work admit of it, it would 
be interesting to commence the subject with the 
Natural History of the Dog ; but, situated as I 
am, I can only glance at it, and refer the inqui- 
sitive to other sources for a more full detail. It 
is probable that mankind was led, at an early 
period, to attempt the subjugation of this animal, 
from an observation of the superior degree of in- 
telligence displayed by him, in his natural state ; 
nor is it improbable that the discovery of an in- 
herent degree of tractability might have assisted 
towards this selection. « 

Buffon has conjectured that the varied tribes 



XIV INTRODUCTION. 

of dogs all sprung from one common stock; 
which appears very probable ; but it is more 
questionable that the sheep-dog was this common 
parent, as he supposes. The wolf, the jackal, the 
fox, and the dog, have all of them, in a state of 
nature, one common characteristic form and man- 
ner. The sharp-pointed head, the small upright 
ears, deep fore-quarters, with great length and 
strength in the hinder ones, are all marks that 
betoken an animal intended to outstrip in speed 
most of those he preys upon. But these charac- 
ters are not sufficiently evident in the sheep-dog, 
to warrant a conclusion that he was the root of 
the race. On the contrary, I am disposed to 
think that the species which approaches nearest to 
the original, is the Asiatic or Indian dog, eaten 
by the natives. This kind, which is very rare 
in England, possesses all the characteristic traits 
that may be supposed to have marked the original. 
It is ferocious, suspicious, watchful, and sleeps 
lightly ; and, although the Chinese dog evidently, 
possesses the seeds of generosity, fidelity, and 
gratitude, yet they are dormant, and want the 
fostering hand of cultivation, and more perfect 
domestication, to bring them to perfection. 

The great varieties in form, size, and habits, 
observable in the different branches of the canine 
race, have led many persons to conclude that it 
is not possible. that, these varied scions could have 



INTRODUCTION. XV 

all sprung from one common root. But, when the 
subject is considered attentively and analogically, 
it will be seen that very great deviations from the 
original may be effected, both in form and size, by 
occasional causes, as change of climate, &c. ; and 
by artificial means, as propagating from duplicates 
of accidental variety. The progeny of all ani- 
mals have a general tendency to bear the simili- 
tude of their species ; but they have also a parti- 
cular tendency to imitate their immediate parents. 
Should the father and mother, therefore, in any 
instance, happen by chance, or selection, to pos- 
sess a variation of form from the common stock, 
it will usually happen that the same will be con- 
tinued in the succeeding family branches. By 
future selections, likewise, of such as possess the 
deformity, or variation, in the most remarkable 
degree, and by propagating from these only, the 
external form of the body may be, eventually, 
very greatly altered. These varieties have doubt- 
less been greatly increased by the effect of cli- 
mate, which we know has a powerful operation 
on the animal frame. Dissimilar as is the ap- 
pearance of an Esquimaux Indian from that of a 
native of Britain, yet we are taught to consider 
both as the children of one parent. If, therefore, 
so marked a difference is effected on the human 
form by the operation of one cause alone, or 
that of climate, we need not be surprised that a 



XVI INTRODUCTION. 

more observable variation should take place in the 
brute, where, in addition to this, artificial cir- 
cumstances have been laid hold of, to increase the 
variable tendency. 

From these united sources, there is no reason to 
doubt, have sprung all the different breeds of dogs 
with which we are acquainted. Neither would 
it, I believe, be difficult to prove that the mental 
qualities of the animal have also been altered and 
cultivated in an equal degree with the personal 
varieties. Nature undoubtedly gave to the origi- 
nal dog all the ferocity so usually met with in the 
English mastiff; but the determined perseverance 
in battle, the contempt of pain, danger, and 
death, that characterise the bull- dog, is alto- 
gether a cultivated property. Every dog instinc- 
tively crouches and points, previous to the attack 
he meditates ; by which means his form is altered, 
or his bulk lessened, to surprise his prey, or de- 
ceive his adversary. In this way, it is not un- 
usual to witness the steadiest point between two 
mongrels. As this property is common to all, the 
introduction of the pointer and setter was proba- 
bly a chance selection of two strong kinds of 
dogs, accustomed to hunt. In these, the instinc- 
tive principle was cultivated and improved, till it 
became perfectly subservient to the purposes of 
the sportsman. By domestication, and cultiva- 
tion, all the other admirable properties also ob- 



INTRODUCTION. XVX1 

servable in this animal, have been matured and 
brought to their present perfection. The moral 
qualities of the dog are so varied and so nume- 
rous, and the extent of his mental attainments 
is so considerable, that I hope I shall stand ex- 
cused if, before I proceed to the medical part of 
my subject, I devote a few pages to a short ex- 
amination of these subjects. 

I am led to extend this subject, by a hope that 
I may thereby advocate the cause of this inte- 
resting animal, with those who, from a want of 
consideration have hitherto regarded him with 
indifference. To those who have studied his 
character and properties, I need offer no apology 
for this detail : they will agree that, in what fol- 
lows, so far from exaggerating his excellencies, I 
have not done them the justice they deserve* : 



* It must be supposed that I, with pleasure, insert the 
following character of the dog, drawn from so respectable a 
source as Mr. Dibdin's Tour through England, where he says, 
*' Dogs, if I may be permitted the expression, have noble 
" passions, and possess a rectitude which, if it be instinct, 
H is superior to reason. Their gratitude is unbounded, their 
" devotion exemplary, their study and delight are to please 
" and serve their master; they watch his commands, they 
" wait upon his smiles, they obey, oblige, and protect him, 
" and are ready to die in his defence : nay, they love him so 
" wholly and entirely, that their very existence seems to de- 
41 pend on his attention to them." 

C 



Xviii INTRODUCTION. 

but to others, something may be necessary to 
prove that this animal merits a consideration very 
different from that he has met with, and an esti- 
mation infinitely higher than what he has hitherto 
occupied in their minds. To awaken the dormant 
humanity in their breasts, and to stimulate them 
into approbation and regard, I shall, therefore, 
endeavour to shew that, whether we consider the 
intelligence he displays, the entertainment he of- 
fers, or the real utility he affords, he becomes 
an object of great interest in all ; and that he 
therefore challenges the utmost tenderness, at- 
tachment, and protection. 

As the human mind may be considered as the 
fountain of good principles, and as every moral 
quality ought to exist there in the superlative 
degree, so I shall perhaps compass my object 
most readily by drawing a comparison between 
the human and brute character ; and I may pre- 
face this by asking, What is there noble, gene- 
rous, or amiable, in man, which may not be 
found in the dog also ? If we commence with 
bravery, which is one of the most exalted among 
the human attributes, where can it be found in a 
more eminent degree than as it exists in the 
canine species ? The bull-dog attacks all animals, 
indiscriminately, without fear ; and his fortitude 
is such, that, until he conquers his enemy, no 
sufferings short of extinction can make him fore- 



INTRODUCTION. XIX 

go his purpose. The smallest dog, when enraged, 
heedless of the consequences, will attack one in- 
finitely larger than himself; and, in these in- 
stances, we have frequently an opportunity of 
observing bravery in its noblest form, as united 
with mercy ; for it is seldom that a large dog so 
attacked will hurt a small one. This forbearance 
arises only from a consciousness of the inferiority 
of his opponent ; for, to mark his power to 
punish, and his sense of the affront, he is often 
observed to lay the little animal prostrate, put 
his paw on him, and, looking down, seem to 
reproach him with his temerity. Mr. Dibdin 
says, if I had a yard-dog, that had every thing of 
" the wolf but the ferocity. He was gentle as a 
" lamb ; nothing offered to himself could insult 
" him ; but no roused lion could be more terrible 
" if any of the family, or the other dogs, were 
ci insulted.'* Is it possible for any thing to be 
more noble than this portraiture ? — or is it pos- 
sible to withhold our esteem and admiration for 
such an animal ? Noble and generous as is the 
horse, such instances of active forbearance do 
not appear in him. Of his passive forbearance, 
God knows, we have daily too many instances. 

An inhuman bricklayer had taken his dog with 
him up a scaffold, but, on his return, forgot to 
carry him down again : the animal whined his 
regrets, which the wretch heard, but he would not 

c 2 



XX INTRODUCTION. 

trouble himself to reascend the ladder. The dog, 
seeing his master about to depart, leaped from the 
height, and broke his thigh. A severe kick, and 
some hearty curses, were the rewards for his 
courage and attachment ; but with these, and his 
broken bone, the poor animal was sufficiently 
happy, since he had rejoined his master ; and he 
limped home, pained in body, but easy in mind. 
Would this man's nearest relation have dared to 
do as much? Yet this was not foolish temerity; 
for dogs are sufficiently careful in general of leap- 
ing from heights. Strange as it may appear, it 
is no less true, that a poodle dog actually scaled 
the high buildings of my residence, in Wells 
Street, Oxford Street, proceeded along several 
roofs of houses, and made his way down by pro- 
gressive but very considerable leaps into distant 
premises ; from whence, by watching and strata- 
gem, he gained the street, and returned home to 
join his mistress, for whom he undertook this 
desperate enterprise. 

Having admired this noble animal as the pro- 
totype of bravery, let us next consider him in a 
more interesting point of view— -as the acknow- 
ledged emblem of fidelity; and well he merits 
the honour. His is fidelity without interest ; it 
is not to be corrupted ; nor is any bribe, however 
tempting, sufficient to make him betray a trust 
reposed in him. In London streets, we every 



INTRODUCTION". Xxi 

day see carts and waggons watched by these 
faithful guardians, in the absence of the dri- 
vers ; and, among the numerous stratagems em- 
ployed by thieves to draw off the attention of 
the owners or drivers of these carriages, we never 
hear of any such attempt being successful while 
there is a dog at hand. During the still hours of 
night, this vigilant protector refuses sleep, and is 
continually on the watch. Common noises alarm 
him not ; but a whisper, a soft footstep, or any 
unusual sound, he interprets into danger to his 
master, and he employs all his might to prevent 
the perpetration of the threatened evil. The half- 
starved mongrel that follows the dustman's cart, 
places himself on the cold stones, beside the bell, 
while his master is collecting the dust, and nei- 
ther the allurement of food nor the fear of danger 
can detach him from the trust. The same happens 
in the fields, where the peasant's cur guards the 
coat and scanty meal of the labourer. I remem- 
ber to have seen a poor meagre dog, seated in the 
very middle of a wheelbarrow, such as is used by 
the cat's-meat sellers in London, surrounded with 
horse-flesh, which he was guarding with perfect 
fidelity from two-footed and four-footed depre- 
dators, seemingly regardless of his own wants, 
which were but too evident, by his lank and 
bony appearance. The butcher, profiting by the 
fidelity of his dog, leaves his meat with no other 



Xxil INTRODUCTION. 

protector ; and though the animal's support is de- 
rived from the bits and parings that come from 
this very meat; and though he might, without 
present danger, satisfy his appetite ; yet he ho- 
nestly refrains, and waits with patience for what 
may be gratuitously bestowed. 

I was once called from dinner in a hurry, to 
attend to something that occurred : unintention- 
ally I left a favourite cat in the room, together 
with a no less favourite spaniel. When I return- 
ed, I found the spaniel, who was not a small one, 
extending her whole length along the table, by 
the side of a leg of mutton which I had left. On 
my entrance, she shewed no signs of fear, nor 
did she immediately alter her position ; I was 
sure, therefore, that none but a good motive had 
placed her in this extraordinary situation: nor 
had I long to conjecture. Puss was skulking 
in a corner ; and, though the mutton was un- 
touched, yet her conscious fears clearly evinced 
that she had been driven from the table in the act 
of attempting a robbery on the meat, to which 
she was too prone, and that her situation had been 
occupied by this faithful spaniel, to prevent a re- 
petition of the attempts. Here was fidelity united 
with great intellect, and wholly free from the aid 
of instinct. This property of guarding victuals 
from the cat, or from other dogs, was a daily prac- 
tice of this animal ; and, while cooking had been 



INTRODUCTION. XXlil 

going forward, the floor might have been strewed 
with edibles : they would have been all safe from her 
own touch, and as carefully guarded from that of 
others. A similar property is common to many 
other dogs, but to spaniels particularly. 

Mr. Dibdin, whom I have before quoted, 
relates the following affecting story on this sub- 
ject : — " The grandfather of as amiable a man as 
' ever existed, and one of my kindest and most 
5 valued friends, had a dog of a most endearing 
' disposition. This gentleman had an occupation 
' which obliged him to go a journey periodically, 
' I believe once a month. His stay was short, 
e and his departure and return were regular, and 
' without variation. The dog always grew un- 
' easy when first he lost his master, and moped 
! in a corner, but recovered himself gradually as 
' the time for his return approached ; which he 
* knew to an hour, nay, to a minute, as I shall 
c prove. When he was convinced that his mas- 
c ter was on the road, at no great distance from 
c home, he flew all over the house, and, if the 
c street-door happened to be shut, he would suf- 
' fer no servant to have any rest till it was 
1 opened. The moment he obtained his freedom 
c away he went, and to a certainty met his bene- 
c factor about two miles from town. He played 
e and frolicked about him till he had obtained one 
' of his gloves, with which he ran or rather flew 



XXIV INTRODUCTION. 

" home, entered the house, laid it down in the 
" middle of the room, and danced round it. 
" When he had sufficiently amused himself in this 
" manner, out of the house he flew, returned to 
" meet his master, and ran before him, or gam- 
" boiled by his side, till he arrived with him at 
"home. I know not how frequently this was 
" repeated, but it lasted, however, till the old 
" gentleman grew infirm, and incapable of con- 
" tinuing his journies. The dog, by this time, 
16 was also grown old, and became at length 
"blind; but this misfortune did not hinder him 
" from fondling his master, whom he knew from 
" every other person, and for whom his affection 
" and solicitude rather increased than diminished. 
" The old gentleman, after a short illness, died. 
" The dog knew the circumstance, watched the 
" corpse, blind as he was, and did his utmost to 
" prevent the undertaker from screwing up the 
" body in the coffin, and most outrageously op- 
" posed its being taken out of the house. Being 
"past hope, he grew disconsolate, lost his flesh, 
" and was evidently verging towards bis end. 
" One day he heard a gentleman come into the 
ff house, and rose to meet him. His master being 
" old and infirm, had worn ribbed stockings for 
•f warmth. This gentleman had stockings on of 
" the same kind. The dog, from this information, 
" thought it was his master, and began to demon- 



INTRODUCTION. XXV 

" strate the most extravagant pleasure ; but, upon 
" further examination, finding his mistake, he 
" retired into a corner, where, in a short time, 
" he expired." 

Innumerable other instances crowd on my re- 
collection, that set the fidelity of dogs in the 
highest point of view ; but perhaps the following 
can hardly be equalled, surely not excelled ; and, 
from the authority whence I received it, I can 
venture to answer for its authenticity. 

In the parish of Saint Olave, Tooley Street, 
Borough, the churchyard is detached from the 
church, and surrounded with high buildings, so 
as to be wholly inaccessible but by one large close 
gate. A poor tailor, of this parish, dying, left a 
small cur dog inconsolable for his loss. The little 
animal would not leave his dead master, not even 
for food ; and whatever he ate was forced to be 
placed in the same room with the corpse. When 
the body was removed for burial, this faithful at- 
tendant followed the coffin. After the funeral, 
be was hunted out of the churchyard by the 
sexton, who, the next day, again found the 
animal, who had made his way by some unac- 
countable means into the enclosure, and had 
dug himself a bed on the grave of his master. 
Once more be was hunted out, and again he was 
found in the same situation the following day. 
The minister of the parish hearing of the circum- 



XXVI INTRODUCTION. 

stance, had him caught, taken home, and fed, 
and endeavoured by every means to win the ani- 
mal's affections : but they were wedded to his 
late master ; and, in consequence, he took the 
first opportunity to escape, and regain his lonely 
situation. With true benevolence, the worthy 
clergyman permitted him to follow the bent of his 
inclinations ; but, to soften the rigour of his fate, 
he built him, upon the grave, a small kennel, 
which was replenished once a day with food and 
water. Two years did this example of fidelity 
pass in this manner, when death put an end to 
his griefs ; and the extended philanthropy of the 
good clergyman allowed his remains an asylum 
with his beloved master. 

I have seen a poodle dog, the property of the 
Marquis of Worcester ; which dog was taken 
by him from the grave of his master, a French 
officer, who, having been killed at the battle of 
Salamanca, had been buried on the spot. This 
dog had remained on the grave till he was nearly 
starved, and even then was removed with diffi- 
culty ; so faithful was he even to the remains of 
him he had tenderly loved. 

I have known many dogs whose habit has been, 
as soon as left by their owners, to search for some- 
thing belonging immediately to them — generally 
some article of dress. This has been carried by 
the animal to his bed, or into one corner of the 



INTRODUCTION. XXVU 

room ; and to lie upon, or to watch this, without 
stirring from it till the owner's return, has been 
all his employ, and seemingly his only solace. 

If it is fair also to separate attachment from 
fidelity, how many pleasing and affecting in- 
stances may be brought forward to prove the 
genuine warmth of their regard ! Many dogs 
have an universal philanthropy, if I may so ex- 
press it — a general attachment to all mankind : 
others are not indiscriminately friendly to every 
one ; but such, almost invariably, make it up by 
a more ardent regard where they do love. Where 
is the parent, wife, or lover, whose affection 
could be more durable than that of the tailor's 
dog, in the anecdote just related? Perhaps the 
duration of an attachment in these animals 
heightens our ideas of the intellectual powers, 
even more than the immediate ardency of it ; for 
the constancy of it combines memory, reflection, 
and sentiments, that completely soar above instinc- 
tive preservation or self-enjoyment. 

Their extraordinary attachment to mankind 
may perhaps be, in some measure, an inherent 
quality ; and although it is certainly much im- 
proved and perfected,' yet it may not be altogether 
dependent on cultivation ; for we have failed to 
excite it in an equal degree in the other branches 
of the brute creation. In other domesticated ani- 
mals, it is also a sentiment principally dependent 



XXViii INTRODUCTION. 

on self-preservation— an attachment for protec- 
tion and food ; but in dogs it is wholly distinct. A 
servant shall regularly feed a dog, who will as- 
suredly be grateful and attached ; but the degree 
of his attachment for the servant, and that for his 
master, who perhaps never feeds him, shall bear no 
proportion ; that to his master will be so infinitely 
superior. 

This regard for particular persons is so great, 
that it frequently interferes with, and, now and 
then, totally overcomes their instinctive care for 
their young. Here the moral principle is at war 
with the instinctive ; which is an additional proof 
of the height of their intellect. 

I have several times seen bitches, even while 
suckling their puppies, so unhappy at the depri- 
vation of the society of their owners, that it seemed 
to be with difficulty that they forced themselves 
to perform the office of mothers. 

In my professional capacity, I have had fre- 
quent occasions to witness the most admirable in- 
stances of forcible attachment in these animals 
towards their owners. I have four several times 
been forced to return dogs that had been placed 
under my care. They have so obstinately refused 
all food, and even rest, that it became absolutely 
necessary to send them back to the society of the 
persons who owned them, or death would have 
been the inevitable consequence. Their attack- 



INTRODUCTION. XXIX 

ment also towards each other is often very strong, 
and is a most amiable trait in their characters. 

Two spaniels, mother and son, were self hunt- 
ing, in Mr. Drake's woods, near AmersJiam, 
Bucks. The gamekeeper shot the mother j the 
son, frightened, ran away for an hour or two, 
and then returned to look for his mother. Hav- 
ing found her dead body, he laid himself down by 
her, and was found in that situation the next day 
by his master, who took him home, together with 
the body of the mother. Six weeks did this af- 
fectionate creature refuse all consolation, and 
almost ail nutriment. He became at length uni- 
versally convulsed, and died of grief. 

A fox -hound bitch, in the middle of the chase, 
was taken in labour, and brought forth a puppy. 
Ardour for the pursuit, united to attachment for 
her progeny, induced her to snatch it up in her 
mouth and follow her companions, with whom 
she soon came up ; and in this interesting situa- 
tion she continued the whole of the chase. 

I have also seen many instances of dogs volun- 
tarily undertaking the office of nurse to others, 
who have been sick. "When we consider the 
warmth of their feelings, and the tenderness of 
their regard, this is not to be wondered at, if 
it happens among those habituated to each other ; 
but I have not unfrequently observed a dog take 
upon himself the office of nurse to a sick one, to 



XXX . INTRODUCTION. 

whom he has been a total stranger. Were I to 
relate all the pleasing instances of this kind I 
have seen, I should be supposed to exceed the 
bounds of truth. 

One very particular case occurs to my recol- 
lection, where a large dog, of the mastiff breed, 
hardly full grown, attached himself to a very 
small spaniel ill with distemper ; from which 
the large dog was himself but newly recovered. 
He commenced this attention to the spaniel the 
moment he saw it, and, for several weeks, he con- 
tinued it unremittingly, licking him clean, fol- 
lowing him every where, and carefully protecting 
him from harm. When the large dog was fed, 
he has been seen to save a portion, and to solicit 
the little one to eat it ; and, in one instance, he 
was observed to select a favourite morsel, and 
carry it to the kennel where the sick animal lay. 
When the little dog was, from illness, unable to 
move, the large one used to sit at the door of his 
kennel, where he would remain for hours, guard- 
ing him from interruption. Here was no instinct, 
no interest ; it was wholly the action of the best 
qualities of the mind. 

In the human species, gratitude has ever been 
considered as one of the highest virtues. Can it 
ever be practised in a more perfect manner, or 
exhibited in a more interesting point of view, 
than by these admirable animals? A benefit is 



INTRODUCTION. XXX 

never forgotten by the majority of them ; but for 
injuries, they have the shortest memory of any 
living creature. To select instances of the gra- 
titude of dogs would seem almost invidious. 
Every person must have been an eye-witness to 
many facts of this kind ; but my opportunities 
of seeing different dogs have presented me with 
such varied occasions, where this noble passion 
has been practised in its fullest extent, that I may 
be permitted to mention one or two. 

A large setter, ill with the distemper, had been 
most tenderly nursed by a lady for three weeks. 
At length he became so ill as to be placed on a 
bed, where he remained three days, in a dying 
situation. After a short absence, the lady, on 
re-entering the room, observed him to fix his eyes 
attentively on her, and make an effort to crawl 
across the bed towards her : this he accomplished, 
evidently for the sole purpose of licking her 
hands ; Avhich having done, he expired without a 
groan. I am as convinced that the animal was 
sensible of his approaching dissolution, and that 
this was a last forcible effort to express his grati- 
tude for the care taken of him, as I am of my 
own existence ; and had I witnessed this proof of 
excellence alone, I should think a life devoted to 
the melioration of their situation far too little for 
their deserts. 



XXX11 INTRODUCTION. 

I one day picked up, in the street, an old 
spaniel bitch, that some boys were worrying, 
which her natural timidity rendered her incapable 
of defending herself from. Grateful for protec- 
tion, she readily followed me home, where she 
was placed among other dogs, in expectation of 
finding an owner for her $ but which not hap- 
pening, she passed the remainder of her life (three 
or four years) in this asylum. Convinced she 
was safe, and well treated, I had few opportuni- 
ties of particularly noticing her afterwards, and 
she attached herself principally to the man who 
fed her. At a future period, when inspecting the 
sick dogs, I observed her in great pain, occasion- 
ally crying out : supposing her to be affected in 
her bowels, and having no suspicion that she was 
in pup, I directed some castor-oil to be given her. 
The next day she was still worse, when I examin- 
ed her more attentively, and, to my surprise, dis- 
covered that a young one obstructed the passage, 
and which she was totally unable to bring forth. 
I placed her on a table, and, after some difficulty, 
succeeded in detaching the puppy from her. The 
relief she instantly felt produced an effect I shall 
never forget ; she licked my hands, and, when 
put on the ground, she did the same by my feet, 
danced round me, and screamed with gratitude 
and joy. 



INTRODUCTION. XXX111 

From this time to her death, which did not 
happen till two years after, she never forgot the 
benefit she had received ; on the contrary, when- 
ever I approached, she was boisterous in evincing 
her gratitude and regard, and would never let 
me rest till, by noticing her, I had convinced her 
mind that I was sensible of her caresses. The dif- 
ference between her behaviour before this accident 
and after it, was so pointed and striking, that it 
was impossible to mistake the grateful sense she 
ever retained of the kindness shewn her. 

Having, I hope, paid a just, and only a just, 
tribute to the bravery, fidelity, attachment, and 
gratitude of dogs, I would draw the reader's at- 
tention to a still wider field ; and when I propose 
to consider the varied intelligence of the animal, 
I present him and myself with an inexhaustible 
fund of pleasing research. No one who does not 
pay a marked attention to dogs, can possibly be 
aware to what an extent their mental intellect can 
attain. If I can prove that they reason on past 
events, draw probable conclusions from present, 
and seem to foresee those likely to occur in future, 
I establish such a plenitude of the reasoning fa- 
culty in them, as must raise them high in the 
scale of animated existence. 

Man is placed at the head of the animal crea- 
tion, and is destined to govern those whose bodi- 
ly powers are infinitely greater than his own : it 

D 



XXXIV INTRODUCTION. 

was necessary, therefore, that he should draw the> 
means of subjecting them from the sources of his 
mind. Hence, in him, intellect is infinitely su- 
perior ; while, to the animals below him, it is 
given in different portions, according to their 
wants, their habits, and their uses ; but Nature, 
ever provident to her children, has given to all 
animals another mental principle, to make up for 
the deficiency of the reasoning faculty. This 
principle is called instinct, which is weak in man, 
but strong in other animals. It is a preservative 
principle, and hence is stronger in those in whom 
the rational principle is weak ; and, as tending 
purely to the preservation and propagation of the 
animal, it is, in an operative point of view, more 
powerful than the rational principle ; but it is, at 
the same time, infinitely more confined, and but 
little varied in its operation. It developes itself 
in all animals at the very moment of their birth. 
The young chick is no sooner hatched, than it runs 
about and selects its food with eagerness and dex- 
terity, though mixed with much extraneous mat- 
ter. 

Instinct being given to animals in the place of 
reason, and answering every purpose of exist- 
ence, it was a superadded bounty of Providence 
to give any portion of the reasoning faculty. 
This additional boon being given in different 
proportions, some particular purpose was to be. 



INTRODUCTION. XXXV 

answered by the unequal distribution. This pur- 
pose probably was, that such animals as had the 
intellectual powers strong, should be placed more 
immediately about man ; enabling him thereby to 
profit, as well by their mental qualities, as by their 
personal properties. 

Of all these domesticated subjects, the dog pos- 
sesses by far the greatest portion of intellect ; the 
instances of his sagacity being as obvious as they 
are varied and numerous. I hope I shall be par- 
doned for indulging myself in the pleasing task of 
relating a few that have either fallen under my 
own notice, or have been related to me by others, 
on whose authority I could implicitly depend. 

A native of Germany, fond of travelling, was 
pursuing his course through Holland, accompa- 
nied by a large dog. Walking, one evening, on a 
high bank which formed one side of a dike, or 
canal, so common in this country, his foot slipped, 
and he was precipitated into the water ; and, 
being unable to swim, he soon became senseless. 
When he recovered his recollection, he found him- 
self in a cottage, on the contrary side of the dike 
to that from which he fell, surrounded by peasants, 
who had been using the means so generally prac- 
tised in that country for the recovery of drowned 
persons. The account given by the peasants was, 
that one of them, returning home from his labour, 
observed, at a considerable distance, a large dog 

9 2 



XXXVI INTRODUCTION. 

in the water swimming and dragging, and some- 
times pushing, something that he seemed to have 
great difficulty in supporting; but which he at 
length succeeded in getting into a small creek on 
the opposite side to that on which the men were. 

When the animal had pulled what he had hi- 
therto supported as far out of the water as he 
was able, the peasant discovered that it was the 
body of a man. The dog, having shaken himself, 
began industriously to lick the hands and face of 
his master, while the man hastened across ; and, 
having obtained assistance, the body was con- 
veyed to a neighbouring house, where the resus- 
citating means used, soon restored him to sense 
and recollection. . Two very considerable bruises, 
with the marks of teeth appeared, one on his 
shoulder, the other at the root of the poll of the 
head ; whence it was presumed that the faithful 
beast first seized his master by the shoulder, and 
swam with him in this manner some time; but 
that his sagacity had prompted him to let go this 
hold, and shift it to the nape of the neck, by which 
he had been enabled to support the head out of 
the water. It was in this manner that the peasant 
observed the dog making his way along the dike, 
which it appeared tie had done for a distance of 
nearly a quarter of a mile. It is, therefore, pro- 
bable that this gentleman owed his life as much 
to the sagacity as to the fidelity of his dog. I 



INTRODUCTION. XXXVli 

should, in justice to the liberality of this gentle- 
man, who himself related the circumstances to 
me, state that, wherever he afterwards boarded, 
he always voluntarily gave half as much for the 
support of his dog as he agreed to give for him- 
self, thereby ensuring care and kindness for his 
preserver. . 

In relating the following, I shall possibly stag- 
ger the faith of some. I can only remark, that I 
would not willingly trespass the bounds of truth : 
the facts were detailed to me by several persons 
of veracity, who professed to have been eye- 
witnesses of them ; and all the circumstances ap- 
peared to be well known in the neighbourhood. 

A butcher and cattle dealer, who resided about 
nine miles from the town of Alston in Cumberland, 
bought a dog of a drover. This butcher was 
accustomed to purchase sheep and kine in the 
vicinity, which, when fattened, he drove to Alston 
market, and sold. In these excursions he was fre- 
quently astonished at the peculiar sagacity of his 
dog, and at the more than common readiness and 
dexterity with which he managed the cattle; till 
at length he troubled himself little about the 
matter, but, riding carelessly along, used to amuse 
himself with observing how adroitly the dog ac- 
quitted himself of his charge. At last, so con- 
vinced was he of his sagacity as well as fidelity, 
that he wagered that he would entrust him "with 



XXXviii INTRODUCTION. 

so many sheep and so many oxen, to drive alone 
and unattended to Alston market. It was stipu- 
lated that no person should be within sight or 
hearing, who had the least controul over the dog ; 
nor was any spectator to interfere, nor be within 
five hundred yards. On trial, this extraordinary 
animal proceeded with his business in the most 
steady and dexterous manner ; and although he 
had frequently to drive his charge through other 
herds who were grazing, yet he never lost one, 
but, conducting them into the very yard to which 
he was used to drive them when with his master, 
he significantly delivered them up to the person 
appointed to receive them, by barking at his door. 
What more particularly marked the dog's saga- 
city was, that, when the path the herd travelled 
lay through a spot where others were grazing, he 
would run forward, stop his own drove, and then, 
driving the others away, collect his scattered 
charge, and proceed. He was several times after- 
wards thus sent alone, for the amusement of the 
curious or the convenience of his master, and 
always acquitted himself in the same adroit and 
intelligent manner. The story reaching the ears 
of a gentleman travelling in that neighbourhood, 
he bought the dog for a considerable sum of 
money. 

Extraordinary as the circumstances are, I have 
no doubt whatever as to the perfect correctness 



INTRODUCTION. XXXIX 

of the statement. I resided for. a twelvemonth 
within a few miles of the spot, and, as I before 
observed, the whole appeared fresh in every one's 
recollection. 

I remember watching a shepherd's boy in Scot- 
land, who was sitting on the bank of a wide but 
shallow stream. A sheep had strayed to a con- 
siderable distance on the other side of the water ; 
the boy, calling to his dog, ordered him to fetch 
that sheep back, but to do it gently, for she was 
heavy in lamb. I do not affect to say that the 
dog understood the reason for which he was com- 
manded to perform this office in a more gentle 
manner than usual ; but that he did understand 
he was to do it gently was very evident, for he 
immediately marched away through the water, 
came gently up to the side of the sheep, turned 
her towards the rest, and then both dog and sheep 
walked quietly side by side back to the flock. 
I was scarcely ever more pleased at a trifling inci- 
dent in rural scenery than at this. 

Within these few days I have been most cre- 
dibly informed of a very fortunate and pleasing 
proof of canine sagacity, which lately occurred 
in Mary-le-bone parish. A servant carelessly left 
a child, four years old, alone, whose cap soon 
caught fire from a candle with which she was 
amusing herself. A small terrier, seing the situa- 
tion of the child, ran up stairs to the room where 



Xl INTRODUCTION. 

the servant was, and barked most violently, nor 
would he cease till she came down, by which 
means assistance was obtained. Had it not been 
for the intelligence of the dog, instead of being 
only slightly scorched, the poor child would pro- 
bably have lost its life ; for the accident happened 
in the kitchen, and the servant left in charge of 
it was gone to the very top of the house, out of 
the reach of even the cries of the infant. 

Mr. Dibdin, the intelligent tourist, who ap- 
pears to have been almost as great an enthusiast 
in his admiration of dogs as myself, details, in 
his tour, some very pleasing anecdotes, tending 
to shew their amiable qualities : among others he 
relates the following, to prove the sagacity dis- 
played by them in various instances :— 

" At a convent in France, twenty paupers were 
" served with a dinner every day at a given hour. 
" A dog belonging to the convent did not fail 
" to be present at this regale, because of the odds 
" and ends which were frequently thrown down 
" to him. The guests, however, being poor and 
" hungry, the dog did not get much. The por- 
" tions were served one by one at the ririging of 
il a bell, and delivered out by means of what, in 
" religious houses, is called a toil?', which is a 
" machine like the section of a cask, that, turning 
" round on a pivot, exhibits whatever is placed 
" on the concave side, without discovering the 



INTRODUCTION. xlt 

" person who moves it. One day this dog, who 
" had only received a few scraps, waited till the 
" paupers were all gone, took the rope in his 
" mouth, and rang the bell. This stratagem suc- 
* ceeded. He repeated it the next day with the 
" same good fortune. 

" At length the cook, finding that twenty -one 
" portions were given out instead of twenty, was 
" determined to discover the trick, in doing which 
" he had no great difficulty ; for, being hid, and 
" noticing the paupers as they came in great re* 
" gularity for their different portions, and that 
" there was no intruder except the dog, he began 
Ci to suspect the real truth, which he was con- 
" firmed in when he saw him wait with great 
" deliberation till all the visitors were gone, and 
" then pull the bell. He was every day after- 
" wards rewarded with a plate of broken victuals, 
" which he punctually rang for." 

The author of the Tableaux Typographiques 
de la Snisse, in his description of the Alps and 
Glaciers, relates the following circumstance:— 
" The Chevalier Gaspard de Brandenberg was 
" buried, together with his servant, by an ava- 
" lanche, as they were crossing the mountain of 
" St. Got hard, in the neighbourhood of Airolo. 
" His dog, who had escaped the accident, did not 
" quit the spot where he had lost his master. 
" Happily this was not far from a convent. The 



xlii INTRODUCTION. 

" faithful animal scratched the snow, and howled 
lc for a long time with all his might ; then ran to 
x f the convent, returned, and ran back again. 
" Struck by his perseverance, the domestics fol- 
"lowed: he led them directly to the spot where 
" he had scratched the snow, and the Chevalier 
tc and his servant were dug out safe and well." 

I have been shewn some of the dogs said to be 
kept by the monks of the monasteries in the 
Swiss Alps, for the express purpose of hunting, 
during heavy snow storms, for travellers who may 
have fallen into cavities or pits ; in which situa- 
tions they would soon, without timely assistance, 
be starved or frozen to death. These dogs are 
sent out in pairs, and, being perfectly conversant 
with their employ, they traverse a great extent of 
country round. By marks in the snow, but 
principally by the scent formed from the breath 
of persons so situated exhaling through the mass, 
they discover the pit that contains the buried 
traveller; in which case they instantly return and 
give the alarm, when assistance being procured, 
these sagacious animals lead the benevolent monks 
to the relief of the distressed person. 

The natural sagacity of dogs being so great, 
it became very early the custom to turn this to a 
pleasing or a useful purpose, by instructing them 
in various ways. In antient history we have 
many relations of cultivated talents in dogs, as 



INTRODUCTION. xliii 

well as innumerable anecdotes of extraordinary 
feats performed by them. 

Some dogs are, however, more easily instructed 
than others, though all are sufficiently docile. 
The Poodle breed is the most extraordinary for 
aptitude in this particular ; many have been made 
so useful as to perform the common offices of a 
servant, such as to go of ordinary errands, shut 
and open doors, ring bells, &c. ; and their knack 
at mimickry is extreme. 

I was once present at a drum-head court mar- 
tial assembled in Holland fox the trial of a soldier. 
In the middle of the solemnity, a poodle dog, 
that belonged to an officer of the corps, entered 
the circle with a stick in his mouth, which he 
immediately transferred to between his fore paw 
and breast, and then, erecting himself, he seemed 
actually to intend the mimickry his form assumed. 
It was impossible to proceed under so ludicrous 
appearance : the circle was convulsed with ineffec- 
tual attempts to restrain laughter ; and I believe 
the poor culprit fared the better for the antics of 
this amusing animal, who was a most deserving 
favourite with the whole regiment. 

Having thus touched upon the more prominent 
features of the dog, his varied powers of mind, 
and eminent good qualities, I shall conclude by 
noticing a branch of intellect observable in him 
that has hitherto escaped the attention of either 



xliv INTRODUCTION. 

the naturalist or philosopher ; at least it has been 
only cursorily noticed, but never fully examined. 
It would be the province of the metaphysician to 
attempt a philosophic investigation of the sub- 
ject ; but such an examination of the matter, I 
irould fain elicit from some able hand. 

Dogs, in common with other quadrupeds, have 
a sense, sui generis, utterly distinct from any prin- 
ciple of intelligence in the human mind, and 
independent of the outward senses common to 
both. Its operations take place equally well with- 
out hearing, seeing, tasting, smelling, or touch- 
ing ; neither is memory any more concerned in 
it than the outward senses. It might be called a 
sixth seme, but that there are no outward organs 
connected with it, as is the case with the five 
common senses. It is, therefore, more properly 
a faculty of the mind ; but it is an instinctive 
one. All animals, man excepted, have it ; but in 
the dog it appears particularly strong. 

The extraordinary faculty I allude to, is that 
whereby a dog, removed to a distance, is enabled 
to return alone, although the intervening por- 
tions of the distance are utterly unknown to him, 
and that, in such return, it is evident he can nei- 
ther be assisted by seeing, hearing, smelling, or 
recollection. 

If a man is travelling through an open country, 
as a common or extensive plain, and a heavy fall 



INTRODUCTION. xlv 

of snow should suddenly obscure his sight of the 
track, and other surrounding objects that might 
serve as guides, he soon becomes bewildered; 
all his senses are useless to him ; he is utterly at a 
loss how to proceed, and, if he deviates one mo- 
ment from the straight line, he is involved in 
inexplicable embarrassment, and is as likely to 
pursue a totally opposite direction, as to follow 
that which would conduct him to his home. No 
such thing happens to either a dog or a horse ; on 
the contrary, when all track is lost, when no 
object appears but the falling mass, turn a horse 
round as many times as you will, and endeavour 
to bewilder him, yet, the moment he is left at his 
liberty, with little or no hesitation he turns his 
head towards home, and, if unmolested, arrives 
there in safety. Exactly the same would happen 
to a dog. It is evident that neither the dog nor 
the horse, so situated, can see through the falling 
snow ; it is equally impossible for them to smell : 
for if the distance is one, two, or three hundred 
miles, the faculty is alike active and certain. 
Recollection can neither operate, for no surround- 
ing object can become evident to assist ; and 
besides, I shall shew, in the following instances, 
that it is wholly and unquestionably conducted 
without the aid of memory. 

A gentleman brought from Newfoundland a 
dog of the true breed, which he gave to his bro- 



xlvi INTRODUCTION. 

ther, who resided in the neighbourhood of Thames 
Street, but who, having no other means of keeping 
the animal except in close confinement, preferred 
sending him to a friend living in Scotland. The 
dog, who had been originally disembarked at 
Thames Street, was again re-embarked at the 
same place on board a Berwick Smack ; by which 
means, during his stay in London, he had never 
travelled half a mile from the spot he first landed 
at. During the short time he remained, he had, 
however, contracted an affection for his master ; 
and, when he arrived in Scotland, his regrets at 
the separation induced him to take the first oppor- 
tunity of escaping, and, though he certainly had 
never before travelled one yard of the road, yet 
he found his way back in a very short time to his 
former residence on Fish Street Hill; but in so 
exhausted a state, that he had only time to ex- 
press his joy at seeing his master, and expired 
within an hour after his arrival. 

I took a Spaniel, bred in London, forty-eight 
miles in the close rumble-tumble of a chaise, into 
Essex, where she remained with me some months. 
During the journey she was once only taken out 
of this close confinement for a few minutes in an 
inn yard. She proved useless as a sporting dog, 
and I gave her to a friend to breed from, who 
was on a visit with me. I accompanied him on 
his return from Essex, and she was brought back 



INTRODUCTION. xlvii 

with us exactly in a similar manner to that in 
which she had been before taken ; and it is most 
certain that neither in going or coming did she 
ever see twenty yards of the road. On our 
arrival in London she was removed to his (my 
friend's) kennel, from whence she contrived to 
escape during the night by digging her way out 
in a most extraordinary manner, and travelled 
the whole forty-eight miles back into Essex so 
expeditiously, that a servant found her at the 
door of my residence in the country in the morn- 
ing when she arose. The bitch remained at large 
during the day, but, finding I was not in the 
country, she again set off in the evening and 
returned to London; and in the morning once 
more presented herself at my friend's house in 
search of me. 

Dogs, losing their owners in the most remote 
and intricate parts of London, where they have 
never before visited, readily return by the same 
instinctive principle. 

Lord Maynard, some years since, lost a coach 
dog in France, which he in vain endeavoured to 
find. He returned to England, where he had not 
been long before the dog appeared; but the 
mode of his return remained for ever unexplained, 
though it is more than probable that the dog's 
sagacity, when he had made his escape from con- 
finement, prompted him to go to the sea-coast, 



xlviii INTRODUCTION. 

where he found means to get on board some vessel 
bound for England. 

Dogs will frequently attach themselves to per- 
sons for no other purpose than to promote some 
sinister view ; and it is not improbable this artful 
conduct was practised in this instance to gain a 
passage home. I have frequently been followed 
by a dog, who has caressed me, and accompanied 
me exactly in a similar manner to that which 
would be expected from one immediately belong- 
ing to me, going the same pace that I went, and 
stopping when I stopped ; but this continued no 
longer than his road and mine corresponded. 
This habit, which is very common among dogs, 
arises from a sense of the protection that the 
presence of a master affords them. 

I consider the foregoing a most curious sub- 
ject, and well worthy the serious attention and 
research of the philosopher. In whatever way, 
however, this faculty may be supposed to be 
brought about, we are equally led to admire the 
kindness and beneficence of that ali-wise Provi- 
dence, who has granted a resource against the 
wants of all her children, and who has liberally 
multiplied their capacities even beyond their 
necessities. 

Before I conclude this interesting subject, I 
would remark that dogs, in addition to the capa- 
bility of traversing distances aright that are new 



INTRODUCTION. xllX 

to them, have also the faculty of remarking time, 
and informing themselves of the moment of re- 
curring periods. 

A dog who was several weeks under my care 
in the infirmary attached to my premises, was 
visited every Sunday by his master, who never 
could find leisure to see him at any other time. 
Though no alteration was made in the treatment 
of the dogs around, nor was any thing done on 
the premises on that day different from what was 
done every other day ; yet this faithful animal 
knew perfectly well when Sunday morning arrived. 
Stationing himself at the door, he left it not one 
moment till his master had paid his accustomed 
visit. This was so well marked, and occurred so 
regularly on every Sunday, and on that day only, 
that no possible doubt could be entertained as to 
the circumstance. A corresponding instance ap- 
pears in the affecting anecdote, before quoted, 
of Mr. Dibdin's, and similar ones have been 
frequently observed by others. 

Would my reader's patience to read, continue as 
long as mine to write on this subject, we should 
accompany each other through volumes. Innu- 
merable anecdotes, tending to display the good 
qualities of the dog, crowd on my recollection : 
innumerable arguments appear to arise to my 
imagination, each more forcible than the other, 
why every one ought to love dogs as well as my- 

E 



1 INTRODUCTION. 

self. But, however questionable this latter po- 
sition may appear to some, I hope I have brought 
forward enough to prove that they are, at least, 
worthy of more consideration than is usually paid 
to them ; that their qualities are admirable, their 
utility apparent ; and that, from a due considera- 
tion of the subject, it is evident Providence im- 
mediately designed them as companions to man- 
kind. Hence the duty becomes undeniably in- 
cumbent on us to receive them as such, to protect 
them with care, to treat them with kindness, 
and, under disease, to promote their recovery 
with skill and humanity. 




Diseases of Dogs. 



A WORK of this kind will not admit of a circumstantial 
description of the formation of the internal organs, nor of a 
minute inquiry into the animal economy of the dog. His 
anatomical outline has beeu drawn with sufficient accuracy 
by Monro ; and minuter details may be gained from the 
writings of other comparative anatomists. In the present 
state of canine medicine, it is sufficient to be aware, that 
his principal viscera bear a close resemblance in anatomical 
structure to the same parts in the human subject ; and that, 
between all the important organs concerned iu digestion, 
which form so large a proportion of the whole, the similarity 
is so striking, that to study the one, is to gain an acquaint- 
ance with the other. 

This close resemblance between the organs concerned in the 
assimilation of food is not to be wondered at, when we con- 
sider that both of the subjects they belong to are omnivorous; 
and to which cause it is probable that we must attribute the 
close affinity that exists between their diseases also. This 
similarity between their diseases does not, however, equally 
extend to the other domestic animals around us. On the 
contrary, in them, the analogy wholly fails, and to this it is 
owing that the medical treatment of dogs has hitherto made 
such small progress. The human physician thought the matter 
beneath his notice, while the veterinarian found it beyond his 
comprehension. I have had innumerable opportunities of 
witnessing, and lamenting, the total want of experience and 

E2 



2 DISEASES OF DOGS. 

information on canine medicine, even among the best vete- 
rinarians. Neither is this subject at all better understood at 
the Veterinary College even, where it ought not only to be 
encouraged, but expressly taught, as a necessary and im- 
portant branch of the veterinarian's practice. If, however, 
the diseases of oxen, cows, and sheep, are likewise over- 
looked, or only cursorily touched on, in that important se- 
minary; we cannot wonder that those of dogs should be totally 
neglected. 

Not only do the maladies of the canine race very nearly 
resemble those of the human species, in cause, appearance, 
and effect ; but the similarity is extended to the number and 
variety of them also ; as may be readily seen by a reference 
to the nosological catalogue, where many complaints will be 
found that have no existence among other domestic animals. 
These affinities will, however, cease to excite wonder when 
we consider that, in addition to the complexity of their struc- 
ture, the closeness of their domestication has subjected them 
to lives wholly artificial ; and, in many instances, to habits the 
most unhealthy. 

But, although the analogies between the diseases of the 
two subjects are so striking, yet long experience in, and par- 
ticular attention to, the canine pathology, are no less essen- 
tially necessary : for, without an immediate conversance with 
the subject, the most expert human practitioner would often 
be foiled in his attempts at a curative practice. This failure 
would arise from the operation of several circumstances. 

The human patient, the adult at least, is in general able to 
assist very much towards detecting the cause and nature of 
his own complaint ; after which, it is less difficult to combat 
the effects of it : but in the diseases of dogs, almost every 
thing must depend on the acuteness of observation in the 
practitioner. Some important exceptions to the analogy 
pointed out, would also tend materially to embarrass the best 
human practitioner not armed with previous information and 



DISEASES OF DOGS. 3 

experience : one of these would arise from the specific diseases, 
or those peculiar to the dog, as distemper, &c. &c. Another 
very important deviation from the analogy exists in the differ- 
ent effects that some of the remedies employed, have on the 
one subject to what they have on the other. 

Ten grains of calomel, though a full dose, is by no means 
a destructive one to a human subject, yet I have seen a large 
pointer killed by this quantity, which had been ordered by an 
eminent surgeon ; this would not however always happen. 
On the other hand, three drams of aloes, which would pro- 
bably prove fatal to nine human persons out of ten, might be 
taken by some large dogs with impunity. A dram of opium, 
taken at once, would produce death in most instances to our 
own species ; but it would require a much larger dose to de- 
stroy a dog. Indeed, no quantity I have ever seen given 
would produce this effect, it being very generally returned 
before its narcotic influence is felt. But this is not the case 
with some other deleterious substances of this nature, as 
crowfig, which proves poisonous to dogs in much smaller 
quantities than to the human. Between the effects produced 
by many medicinal articles on the stomachs of other domestic 
animals, and that of the dog, a still more marked distinction, 
or, at least, a more universal one, exists. It will therefore be 
evident, that neither the human physician, nor the veterinary 
practitioner, can be equal to a successful medical practice 
on dogs, without a previous experimental attention to the 
subject. 

When, also, the existing disease is ascertained, and the 
appropriate treatment determined on, still another difficulty 
often presents itself; which is, how to administer the remedy. 
Now and then, dogs prove very refractory, and no small de- 
gree of force is necessary to get any medicine down. In ge- 
neral" cases, however, a slight degree of dexterity is alone 
sufficient for the purpose. 



4 DISEASES OF DOGS. 

The most convenient Mode of Administering 
Remedies. 

Place the dog upright on his hind legs, between the 
knees of a seated person, with his back inwards (a very small 
dog may be taken altogether into the lap). Apply a napkin 
round his shoulders, bringing it forwards over the fore legs, 
by which they become secured from resisting. The mouth 
being now forced open by the pressure of the fore finger and 
thumb upon the lips of the upper jaw, the medicine can be 
conveniently introduced with the other hand, and passed 
sufficiently far into the throat to ensure its not being returned. 
The mouth must now be closed, and kept so, until the matter 
given is seen to pass down. When the animal is too strong to 
be managed by one person, another assistant is requisite to 
hold open the mouth ; which, if the subject is very refractory, 
is best effected by a strong piece of tape applied behind the 
holders or fangs of each jaw. 

The difference of giving liquid and solid medicines is 
not considerable. A hall or bolus should be passed com- 
pletely over the root of the tongue, and dexterously pushed 
some way backwards and downwards. When a liquid remedy 
is giveu, if the quantity is more than can be swallowed at one 
effort, it should be removed from the mouth between each 
deglutition, or the dog may be strangled. The head should 
also be completely secured, and a little elevated, to prevent 
the liquid remedy from again rumiiug out. 

Balls of a soft consistence, and those compounded of 
nauseous ingredients, should be wrapped in silver or other 
thin paper, or they may occasion so much disgust as to be 
returned. Medicines wholly without taste, as calomel, 
James's Powder ; &c. may be frequently giveu in the food ; 
but sometimes a considerable inconvenience attends this; 
which is, that if the deception is discovered by the dog, he 



DISEASES OF DOGS. 5 

will obstinately refuse his food for some time afterwards. 
The purging salts may also be sometimes given in food, being 
mistaken by the animal for the sapid effect produced by com- 
mon salt. 

Dogs are not only very susceptible of disease, but, when ill, 
they require great attention and care to ensure their recovery. 
It is however too common with many persons to neglect them 
under these circumstances ; and if they are placed in a cold 
room, or an outhouse, with stale or broken victuals and water 
placed before them, it is frequently all the attention they 
experience : unless, perhaps, to all this may be added, some- 
thing of doubtful efficacy as a remedy. But when we con- 
sider how very tender many of these animals are rendered by 
confinement and artificial habits, it will be clear that they 
must require, when ill, peculiar care and attention. Warmth 
seems particularly congenial to the feelings of sick dogs, and 
is often of more consequeuce to their recovery than is ima- 
gined. Many of their diseases degenerate into convulsions 
when the sick are exposed to cold. Cleanliness, and a change 
of their litter or bed, is very grateful to them in many cases 
of putridity, as in distemper, &c. Liberal feeding is also 
a most essential point in their medical treatment. Complaints, 
purely inflammatory, it is evident, must be treated by absti- 
nence ; but, in all others, the weakness present must be com- 
bated by nutritious aliment. 

It is not sufficient, as is often imagined, that food, particu- 
larly of the common kind, be merely placed before a sick 
dog. In many such cases, the appetite wholly fails ; and, if 
even the animal could eat, the stomach would not at this 
time digest hard meat, or any of the common matters usually 
given to dogs. In these instances, nourishment is best re- 
ceived from strong broths, gravy, jelly, or gruel ; or, perhaps, 
best of all, from thick gruel and a strong animal jelly, mixed : 
for I have always remarked, that no simple liquid will af- 



6 DISEASES OF DOGS. 

ford equal nutrimeut with one thickened with flour or other 
meal. 

Sick dogs are also very fanciful, and often require enticing 
to eat, by the same arts we use towards children. Fresh meat 
of any kind, but very lightly broiled, will sometimes tempt 
them. At others, pork, in particular, is highly relished ; 
while, in some cases, raw meat alone will be taken. But in 
almost all, if the slightest inclination for food remains, horse- 
flesh, lightly dressed, will be found irresistible ; so great is 
their preference for this food. The extreme fickleness of 
their appetite, when sick, makes it necessary that every kind 
of edible should be tried, as that which is voluntarily taken 
will always digest more readily than that which is forced 
down. But in all illnesses of long continuance, when food is 
obstinately refused, the dog should be forced, as before di- 
rected. In cases requiriug active cordials, ale may be mixed 
with gruel or gravy. Wine is seldom advisable, from its dis- 
position to inflame the bowels. I have, however, now and 
then used it with benefit in highly putrid cases of distemper ; 
in which instances forced meat balls also prove both nutritious 
and an active cordial. 

The intenseuess of mental feeling in the dog is at all times 
great, but under disease it appears doubled ; and although it 
may, to a superficial observer, look like an affectation of ten- 
derness, it is a very necessary caution to observe, that at these 
times their minds should be soothed by every means in the 
power of those around them. Harshness of manner and un- 
kind treatment, in many instances, very evidently aggravate 
their complaints. Under some diseases their irritability of 
mind is particularly apparent. Distemper is a very prominent 
example of this. I have several times witnessed an angry 
word spoken to a healthy dog, produce instant convulsions in 
a distempered one who happened to be near ; and I have seen 
the same effect produced on a sick dog by the momentary 



DISEASES OF DOGS. 7 

sight of a dead one. Not only fear, but joy and surprise also, 
will produce the most hurtful effects on them when ill. 

A terrier, under my care, who was rapidly recovering from 
distemper, was visited by a servant of whom the animal was 
very foud. Joy, at the sight of this favourite, was instantly 
succeeded by violent convulsions, from which he never reco- 
vered. I have likewise, in innumerable instances, seen the fits, 
that have spontaneously come on in distemper, much short- 
ened in duration, and lessened in violence, by soothing notice 
and marked attention : so highly sensible are they of kindness 
and attachment. On the contrary, removal from those they 
love, or from accustomed situations, or, in fact, any slight 
shewn to them, will often prey hurtfully on their minds, and 
greatly retard, if not wholly prevent, their recovery. 

In the following detail I have chosen the alphabetical form, 
as being best suited to the convenience of a popular treatise, 
intended for the use of every oue. I have, for the same rea- 
son, avoided all technical phraseology. The recipes are also 
given in their long-received English terms. This alphabetical 
arrangement necessarily precludes all system, and blends sub- 
jects the most varied into one common mass. J must also re- 
mark, that, to render this Treatise complete, as well for 
domestic as professional practice, I have made it not only a 
catalogue of diseases, but of symptoms also ; by which means, 
those not accustomed to medical subjects may commonly ascer- 
tain the existing disease by the leading feature or symptom. 
The subject is yet new to the generality of persons ; I have, 
therefore, endeavoured to treat of it in the most intelligible 
and simple manner. 

I hope that some dependance may be placed on the curative 
plans detailed ; they are the result of twenty years' extensive 
practice, in each year of which I have examined from two to 
three thousand sick dogs. The different ailments, as they 
occurred, were diligently attended to ; the operations of the 
various remedies used were. carefully observed ; and the gene- 



8 AGE OF DOGS. 

ral result was accurately noted. In such cases as terminated 
fatally, the morbid appearances were attentively examined, by 
which much light was thrown on future instances of a similar 
description. 

eocooo 
Age of Dogs. 

Dogs do not, as horses, present any exact criterion of their 
age ; nevertheless, attention to the following points will ma- 
terially assist us in determining the matter. 

At about four years, the front teeth lose their points, and 
each of them presents a flattened surface, which increases as 
the age advances ; they likewise become less white, and more 
uneven. The front teeth suffer earlier than the others, and 
in dogs fed much on bones, or in those who fetch and carry,, 
as it is called, they are very commonly broken out, while the 
dog is yet young. The holders, or tushes, are also blunted 
by the same causes. At seven or eight, the hair about the 
eyes becomes slightly grey. Gradually, likewise, a greyish 
tint extends over the face ; but it is not till ten, eleven, or 
twelve years, that the eyes lose their lustre : when they be- 
come dim, the dog generally breaks fast, though some last 
fifteen, sixteen, or seventeen years ; and I have seen a mother 
and son vigorous at twenty and twenty one years old. Such 
instances as the latter must, however, be considered as rare. 

In his native state, perhaps, the dog seldom attains to more 
than fifteen or sixteen years, while such as live in confinement 
and luxury, according to the degree of their artificial habits, 
become old at twelve or thirteen. Now and then an extraor- 
dinary exception occurs : the oldest I ever knew had reached 
his twenty-fourth year, and, at the time 1 saw him, was still 
vigorous and lively, and neither lame, blind, nor deaf. I am 
not aware that much difference exists between the various 
breeds, as to the age they arrive at. Spaniels I, however, 






ALTERATIVES. 9 

think rather long-lived ; while terriers, on the contrary, I have 
seldom observed very old. 



©e«^©© 



Alteratives. 



There are many states in which there is no very serious 
disease, and yet a sufficient remove from health exists to make 
some alteration in the constitution necessary. When this is 
the case, the end may, iu general, be attained by alteratives. 
There is also frequently an actual disease existing, whose re- 
move can be best effected by the slow gradual alteration that 
is to be brought about in the constitution by what are, from 
this circumstance, termed alteratives. Hence excessive fat- 
ness, chronic coughs, fits, glandular swellings, mange, &c. &c. 
are best attacked by these sorts of remedies. 

Various substauces are used as alteratives ; as antimonials, 
the different preparations of mercury, iron, nitre, cream of 
tartar, aloes, salines, &c. &c. &c. Tartar emetic often proves 
a very useful alterative in the chronic asthmatic cough to 
which dogs are very subject, given as an emetic once or twice 
a week in doses of one grain to three. Autiraonial powder, 
called James's Powder, may be also given with benefit as an 
alterative in similar cases. Crude antimony is often found 
useful in diseases of the skin ; but it is unfortunately very 
uncertain in its operation : that is, some dogs will bear a con- 
siderable dose, while others cannot take even a small one with- 
out violent sickness. The dose is from half a scruple to half 
a dram. Nitre is a very useful alterative to dogs for hot itch- 
ing humours and redness of the skin, in doses of four grains to 
ten. Cream of tartar may be also given as an alterative with 
benefit, in larger doses, in the same cases. All the preparations 
of mercury, though excellent alteratives, require great caution 
when frequently repeated, or regularly given: for dogs are 



10 ALTERATIVES.. 

easily salivated, and salivation produces very hurtful effects on 
both their stomachs and teeth. 

Dogs, when fully salivated, lose their teeth v?ry early, and 
their breath continues offensive through life. The whole of 
the feline tribe are also easily affected by mercury. I was re- 
quested to inspect the very large lion that so long graced Pid- 
cock's menagerie. It may be remembered by many, that this 
noble animal's tongue was constantly hanging without his 
mouth; which arose from his having been injudiciously sali- 
vated, some years ago, by a mercurial preparation applied by 
the keeper for the cure of mange. Calomel is, likewise, very 
irregular in its action on dogs ; I have seen eight grains fail 
to open the bowels of even a small one, while, on the con- 
trary, I have been called to a pointer fatally poisoned by ten 
grains. It forms, however, a useful auxiliary to purgatives, 
in doses of three to six grains ; and as it not uufrequently acts 
on the stomach, so it may be used with advantage as an emetic 
in some cases, particularly in conjunction with tartar emetic. 
When a therefore, a purgative is brought up again, in which 
calomel was a component part, it may be suspected to arise 
from this source, and, if it is necessary to repeat the purge, 
the mercurial should be omitted. 

The various preparations of iron form excellent alteratives 
in some cases of weakuess, particularly of the stomach and 
bowels, for which affections they act best when united with 
the aromatic bitters. Sulphur is the alterative remedy in the 
most general use of any ; but its properties in this respect are 
much overrated. It is a very common practice to put a roll 
of brimstone into the pans from whence dogs drink their 
water ; the impregnation of which, by means of the sulphur, 
is expected to keep the animals in health : but so completely 
insoluble in water is brimstone in this state, that a roll of it 
so kept would not lose ten grains of its weight in ten years; 
nor would it become in the least altered in its quality. 






ALTERATIVES. 1 1 

Sulphur in powder, or flour of brimstone, as it is termed, 
is, however, more active ; but even in this form it often passes 
through the bowels nearly unchanged. It proves, in other, 
instances, slightly purgative, In one disease, however, it 
seldom fails to do good, even unaccompanied by any thing 
besides, which is the piles, to which complaint many dogs are 
very subject. In conjunction with other alteratives of the 
cooling, cleansing kind, it proves also useful in mangy erup- 
tions, canker, &c. Externally applied, its benefits are much 
more apparent, and are too well known to need enumeration. 

The cases that require the use of alteratives are numerous : 
when judiciously given, they keep dogs cool, and obviate the 
ill effects of improper feeding and close confinement. In 
sporting dogs they often prove very useful by removing their 
useless fat, assisting their wind, and cleansing their blood * ; 
for no dog will hunt well whose blood is tainted by mange or 
other foulness. Alteratives, also, prevent the accumulation of 
fat, as well as the coagulating or coreing of the milk in the 
teats of bitches. They are a preventive against asthma ; and 
all dogs, at all inclined to pursiveness, should have occasional 
•alterative medicines. In short, old mange, cankered ears, 
chronic coughs, swelled glands, and all diseases of long stand- 
ing, are best treated by alteratives. 

CCOSOO 

Asthma. 

Dogs are very subject to a fixed chronic cough, which, 
however it may not answer in some of its characters to the 



* Modern pathology allows no primary •vitiation of the blood : but whe- 
ther this theory may not have been carried too far by the partisans of John 
Hunter, may be a matter of doubt. However, I have no alternatives, in a 
domestic and popular treatise, but the making use of ideas that are generally 
familiar, and of language in common acceptation. 



12 ASTHMA. 

human asthma, is yet sufficiently like it in others to warrant 
our calling it by this familiar term*. Except Distemper, 
there is among confined dogs no disease so prevalent ; it 
shortens the life of thousands. It begins at very uncertain 
periods : in those who are very much confined, hotly kept, or 
such as are enormously fat, it may eveu appear at three or 
four years old : in others, less improperly managed, it does 
not make its attack till six or seven ; and in some not until 
even a later period : but, sooner or later, most of the dogs 
who are over-fed, and who live confined and luxurious lives, 
particularly in close situations, become subjected to it, and 
as certainly have their lives shortened by it. 

One of the most common causes, perhaps the most common 
of all, is an extreme accumulation of fat ; and, from the ap- 
pearances that present themselves on dissection of the subjects 
who die of it; it seems that, in some cases, a morbid translation 
of fat takes place from without inwards, by which the functions 
of the lungs become first impeded, and these organs them- 
selves finally diseased. Very frequently the complaint may be 
attributed to an affection originating in the lungs themselves : 
such at least has been the case in many of the subjects I have 
examined after death. 

The dissection of other asthmatic cases has shewn that dogs 
become sometimes truly broken winded, in which instances 
similar appearances have been detected to those which are 
met with in the lungs of broken winded horses. The air cells 
have been found ruptured, and air has been diffused throughout 



* The human asthma is considered as a spasmodic affection, dependant, 
in most instances, on a sudden attack on the lungs, which produces an ex- 
travasation of serum within their cells, lessens their capacity, and occasions 
the distressing sense of suffocation that ensues. When the fit ceases, no 
organic affection usually remains. On the contrary, the asthma of the dog 
appears commonly to depend on a morbid and fixed alteration in. the struc- 
ture of the lungs. 



ASTHMA. 13 

the surrounding cellular substance : but it is worthy of re- 
mark, that this appearance has ouly been met with in those 
cases where the respiration during the disease had been uni- 
formly short, and the inspirations and expirations unequal, as 
in the broken winded horse. The more common morbid ap- 
pearance of the lungs, in asthmatic subjects, is that of con- 
gestion, or rather of a destruction of the air cells from coagu- 
lable lymph deposited within them. In two or three instances 
I found a considerable tumour attached to the root of the 
diaphragm ; the pressure of which had been productive of the 
usual asthmatic symptoms. 

The cough that bespeaks the complaint has a sound very 
different from any other cough to which dogs are subject : it 
is peculiarly harsh, dry, sonorous, and hollow. Now and then 
the disease comes on suddenly ; but in general cases it is insi- 
dious in its approach, being at first little more than a slight 
occasional cough only observed on quick exercise, or on any 
accidental cold being taken. The irritation of the cough very 
frequently excites nausea and sickness ; but nothing more than 
a little frothy mucus is in general brought off the stomach. 
In the progress of the complaint, the cough, which was at first 
only slight and occasional, becomes distressing and almost 
constant ; the breathing is laborious ; and the disease either 
rapidly approaches to its fatal termination, or it lingers a long 
time with slower progress. Sooner or later, however, it cer- 
tainly proves fatal, unless arrested in its outset. 

In some cases the irritation of the cough, with the accom- 
panying hectic, emaciates and wears dowu the animal. In 
others, the congestion within the chest stops respiration, and 
kills by suffocation. A spasmodic affection forms a third ter- 
mination, in which cases, from the obstruction the blood meets 
with in its passage through the heart, accumulation take* 
place in the head, and convulsive fits ensue, in one of which 
the scene frequently closes : sometimes rupture occurs of 
the heart, or other large vessels. But a still more com- 



14 ASTHMA. 

mon termination of this complaint is in dropsy, either of the 
chest or belly, commonly of the latter. In such cases the 
cough sometimes lessens, the dog also loses flesh generally, 
but the belly increases, and, in the end, suffocation destroys 
the animal. 

The cure of this disease is attended with much uncer- 
tainty, unless in the very early stages: but when it has been 
of long standing, although it may be palliated, it is hardly 
ever completely removed. As confinement and over-feeding 
are very common causes of the complaint, so it is evident that 
an attention to these particulars is essentially necessary to the 
cure. It is unfortunate that the accumulation of fat is, in 
some dogs, so much a disease, that even a very small quantity 
of food will still fatten. The food in these cases must, how- 
ever, be so reduced as to bring down the fat, or it is in vain 
to hope for amendment ; the means to effect which are de- 
tailed under the head Feeding. An airy place ought to be 
allowed the animal to sleep in ; but, above all, regular and 
judicious exercise must be given; — not violent, but gentle, 
and long continued. The absorption of the accumulated fat 
is materially assisted by a regular exhibition of purgatives 
once or twice a week. Bleeding now and then gives a tempo- 
rary relief, and in the incipient stages, when there is active 
inflammation, it is a very proper remedy ; but in the advanced 
stages it seldom does much good. 

A most efficacious remedy, and that which proved so in my 
practice in the greatest number of instances, was a continued 
course of emetics given at regular intervals, as twice a week. 
In the intermediate days alteratives were administered, with 
the occasional use of a purgative, if the dog was strong, fat, 
and plethoric ; otherwise this was dispensed with. The use 
of emetics and alteratives should be long continued to en- 
sure permanent benefit. The following alterative may be tried 
with hope of success : the form of emetic may be seen by a 
reference to that article : — 



ASTHMA. 15 

Calomel half a grain 

Nitre 5 grains 

Cream of tartar 10 grains 

James's powder 2 grains. — Mix. 

This may be given either as a powder, or it may be made 
into a ball with honey : the dose being repeated every morn- 
ing ; and, in very bad cases, every evening also. The quan- 
tity of the articles may be augmented, or diminished, accord- 
ing to the size of the dog ; but the above is a medium 
proportion. On the mornings that the emetic is given, the 
alterative should be omitted ; and it will also, in cases where 
the alterative is repeated night and morning, be prudent to 
watch the mouth, that salivation may not unexpectedly come 
on. If this should happen, the medicine must be omitted 
some days. Where also the calomel has been found to dis- 
agree,! have substituted the following alterative with benefit: — 

Nitre 3 grains 

Tartar emetic 1 quarter of a grain 

Powdered foxglove half a grain.— Mix. 

This may be given as the other, and alternated with the 
emetic also. 

In some cases of long standing, where the cough has been 
very harsh, noisy, and distressing, I have added teu, twenty, or 
thirty drops of laudanum, or the eighth part of a grain of 
opium, to each alterative with advantage. In other instances, 
the cough has been best allayed by an evening opiate of double 
the strength before prescribed. 

I have, now and then, experienced benefit from the use of the 
balsamic gums, which may be all tried, therefore, in obstinate 
cases. I have, likewise, seen some relief obtained from the 
following, given every morning : — 

Powdered squill half a grain 

Gum ammoniacum, powdered 5 grains 

Balsam Peru 3 grains 

<Honey to form a ball. 

eeeeoe 

F 



16 ASTRINGENTS.... BATHING. 

Astringents, 

Astringents are substances that, from their bracing qua- 
lity, are used to check immoderate secretions or fluxes. When 
used to restrain a flux of blood, they are termed styptics. Of 
this kind are alum, dragons blood, &c. A very useful domes- 
tic styptic is' puff ball ; so are mole's-fur and cobweb- All these 
are considered external astringents, and are principally appli- 
cable to wounded blood vessels : but there are internal astrin- 
gents also, which are applicable to various cases. 

There appears oftentimes in dogs a secretion or flow of 
blood from the penis ; now and then it proceeds higher up 
from the bladder or kidnies. The same also occurs in bitches, 
from the womb or the vaginal sheath. In these cases, two 
grains of alum, with twenty grains of japan earth, mixed and 
given as a ball once or twice a-day, proves a most excellent 
astringent. Sugar of lead, also, I have found sometimes useful 
in similar cases ; but I have not ventured to give more than 
from one grain to two, even to a large dog, repeated night 
and morning. When used as an injection into the womb for 
the same purpose, it often produces violent cholic. An in- 
fusion of oak or elm bark may, therefore, be more properly 
injected in this way in such cases. 

The astringents used to check diarrhoea, or looseness, are 
various. As food, rice-milk, suet and milk, or boiled starch, 
are either of them proper. As medicines, starch clysters may 
be used. Opium, by the mouth, is sometimes useful, in doses 
of half a grain to a grain. Prepared chalk, gum arable, and 
japan earth, united in proper proportions, form, however, the 
best astringent I know of. — See Looseness. 

e eeeeo 

Bathing. 
Both the warm and the cold bathing of dogs are attended, 
in many cases, with the happiest effects. Warm bathing seems 



BATHING. If 

peculiarly useful in many complaints, and is often even a 
sovereign remedy. In inflammations, particularly of the 
bowels, it is highly proper. In lumbago and other rheuma- 
tisms, which are very common to dogs, it is attended with the 
best effects. In obstinate costiveness, it will often relax the 
bowels when every other remedy has failed. When internal 
injuries are received from accidents, it relaxes and prevents 
inflammation. In pupping, there is sometimes great difficulty 
experienced ; in which cases the warm bath frequently relaxes 
the parts, and the young become evacuated. In convulsions 
and spasms it is also excellent. In obstructed urine, from an 
inflamed state of the neck of the bladder, it has proved the 
only efficacious remedy. 

When a warm bath is used for a dog, the heat should be 
regulated according to the case. In inflammations it should 
be considerable, and in rheumatisms also ; but it must be re- 
membered that, from habit, many persons can bear, without 
inconvenience, a heat that would be most distressing to a dog ; 
consequently, when ascertaining the heat by the hand alone, 
this should be considered. 100 to 102 degrees of Fahrenheit's 
thermometer is a very considerable heat to dogs, and is only 
proper in violent inflammations and rheumatism. For in- 
ternal bruises, for spasms, or to relax, 96 to 98 degrees is 
sufficient. The continuance in water is also to be regulated 
according to circumstances. To relax, as in pupping bitches, 
slight spasms, or where the animals are very weak, or the bathing 
is to be renewed daily, ten minutes is a sufficient time to keep 
them in the water. But in suppression of urine, in violent 
spasms, costiveness, inflammations, particularly of the bowels ; 
fifteen or even twenty minutes are not too much. A dog will 
shew his faintness by panting and distress, when he should 
be removed from the water, particularly if it is a case wherein 
fainting would be prejudicial, as in a pupping bitch. The 
water should come all over the animal, except the head • and 
when any one particular part is affected, that part may be 

F 2 



18 BLEEDING. 

rubbed, during the bathing, with the hand. When the dog is 
removed from the water, the utmost care should be observed 
to avoid his taking cold. He should be rubbed as dry as may 
be, and then be put into a clothes basket, wrapped up in a 
blanket, and there confined till thoroughly dry. 

Cold bathing is also, in some instances, very useful, parti- 
cularly in the spasmodic twitchings that succeed distemper ; 
and in some other cases of habitual weakness, as rickets, &c. : 
but, for dogs in health, I am convinced bathing is not so salu- 
tary as is often supposed. — See the article Washing of Dogs. 

e©o©o© 

Bladder, hiflamed. 
See Inflamed Bladder. 

oecooo 

Bleeding. 

Dogs are much benefited by bleeding in many eases, as 
in inflammations of the lungs, stomach, bowels, &c. In some 
cases of mange, in dry inflammatory coughs, and in fits, bleed- 
ing is very useful. 

Dogs may be conveniently bled by the jugular or neck vein, 
with a fleam or common lancet ; but the latter is much pre- 
ferable. A ligature of tape or riband being put round the 
lower part of the neck, and the head held up, the vein will 
be found to swell and protrude itself on each side of the wind- 
pipe, about que inch from it. It will be necessary to cut the 
hair away if very thick, after which the puncture can be easily 
made with a common lancet. Nothing is necessary in general 
cases to stop the bleeding, but to remove the ligature ; nor 
is any pin, plaster, or bandage, requisite for the orifice. 
When circumstances prevent blood being drawn from the neck, 
the ear may be punctured, or an incision may be made within- 
side of the flap, but not through the substance. Or the tail 



BLINDNESS. ...BLISTERS. 19 

may be cut in desperate cases ; but, when this is done, it is 
better to cut off a small piece than to merely make an incision 
underneath; for I have seen, when it has been cut injudi- 
ciously, the whole tail mortify and drop off. 

The quantity of blood drawn must be regulated by the size 
of the dog : for a very small dog, one or two ounces are suffi- 
cient ; for a middling sized dog, three or four ounces ; and for 
a large dog, five, six, seven, or eight ounces, according to size, 
strength, and the nature of the disease. 

eocooo 

Blindness* 

Dogs may lose the sight of one or both eyes by the ope- 
ration of several causes. Distemper will produce an abcess 
that will often destroy one or both eyes. Ophthalmia, or pure 
inflammation of this organ, is another source of blindness. 
Cataract sometimes attacks one or both eyes. Dropsy, also, 
of the humours within the eye now and then occurs, and de- 
stroys vision. — The treatment of these several affections is 
referred to Diseases of the Eyes. 

oooooo 

Blisters. 

Blisters often prove very useful to dogs, and are, in 
many instances, absolutely necessary. They do not usually 
vesicate and detach the skin, as in the human subject; but 
they irritate and inflame the surface sufficiently to answer 
every purpose required. Blistering substances for dogs are 
various ; but the best is that, in common use for the human 
subject, made of Spanish flies, applied as a plaster, as to our- 
selves, and carefully secured by a bandage. When, however, 
it is intended, as in very active inflammations, to raise a 
speedy irritation, blistering ointment should be made use of; 



£0 BREEDING. 

and, to render it still more active, it may be thinned with oil 
of turpentine. This should be well rubbed iuto the skin, and 
a covering carefully secured over the part after. The appli- 
cation may be repeated, in urgent cases, every three or foui 
hours. 

A very quick inflammation may be raised by common table 
mustard spread over any part. In inflammations of the sto- 
mach, and particularly of the bowels, an excellent and lasting 
method of irritating the skin may be practised by means of a 
sheep's or any other hide newly stripped off, and immediately 
applied and secured to the part. The skin should, however, 
be first stimulated with hartshorn or turpentine. 

eeeee o 

Bloody Urine, 
See Urine, Bloody. 

eceoco 

Bowels, constipated. 

See Costiveness. 



Bowels, inflamed. 
See Inflamed Bowels. 

eecceo 

Bowels, loose. 
See Looseness. 

oeecea 

Breeding. 

In a state of nature there is every reason to believe that 
bitches are subject to little difficulty in bringing forth their 
young ; but a life of art wholly alters their nature, and sub- 



BREEDING. %\ 

jeets them nearly to the same difficulties and dangers in par- 
turition, as human females experience in the same circum- 
stances. 

Bitches feel oestrum, or heat, at irregular periods. The 
average is about three times in two years; but in some it 
comes on much oftener ; in others not even so often. At these 
times there are generally great heat and fever in the consti- 
tution : such as have any tendency to fits, are almost cer- 
tain to have them now ; and those who have never had them 
before, ofteu have them at these periods. 

Bitches, when at heat, are very cunning, and elude the 
greatest vigilance in their attempts to escape and seek a dog. 
From this cause, numbers are destroyed every year ; for, in 
their oestrum, they unite with any dog, however large, and, in 
their pupping time, die from the excessive size of the puppies. 
Nothing, therefore, short of perfect confinement can keep them 
safe from this danger. From the inflammatory state of the 
constitution at these times, they should have but a moderate 
quantity of food ; and, if it is intended to prevent their breed- 
ing, they should be still further restricted in this particular, 
and the bowels should be kept open with physic. It is, how- 
ever, by no means prudent continually to debar bitches from 
the natural act of breeding. Where this is always prevented, 
the subjects are almost sure to become diseased in some way 
or other. They are apt to get immoderately fat, or the mam- 
mae become diseased, that is, the glands of the teats swell and 
harden ; sometimes those of the throat do the same : but in 
all barren bitches, the ovaria are almost certain to become 
affected with a diseased collection of fat, which produces a 
swelling on each side of the loins. 

When the glands that secrete the milk have become very 
much enlarged, they frequently ulcerate, and a troublesome 
complaint is brought on ; which nothing but complete extir- 
pation will remove. — See Schirrus. 



22 BREEDING. 

When the female is prevented from having any communi- 
cation with the male, there will, notwithstanding, so much 
sympathetic effect arise in the constitution, that, at the time 
when pupping should have taken place, had she been al- 
lowed to breed, there will appear a great secretion of milk. 
At this time it is proper, therefore, to increase the exercise, 
to be sparing in the diet, and, above all, to give some open- 
ing medicine : all of which will tend to remove the super- 
fluous secretion. Should the teats become very turgid and 
full, they may be rubbed with a mixture composed of one part 
brandy and two parts vinegar. It should also be remembered 
that the suffering of bitches to breed, so far from shortening 
their lives, is almost a certain means of lengthening them ; for 
those who have brought up numerous litters are observed to 
remain healthy, and to attain to an advanced age. 

Bitches breed, some of them at the first, others at the third, 
fourth, or fifth, copulation. In those who are much confined 
and artificially treated, it is not safe to put the male and 
female together less than three or four times, when they are 
wished to propagate. 

I am disposed to think that bitches are capable of superfce- 
tation ; that is, that they conceive more than once. If this is 
|he case, a bitch may copulate to-day and become impreg- 
nated, and in a day or two she may copulate again, and again 
become impregnated. This is not frequent, I believe ; but it 
certainly does happen, or we could not account for the dif- 
ferent periods at which the progeny sometimes appear. I have 
known a week, and in one case even ten days, intervened be- 
tween the piippings ; but one or two days between is not at 
all uncommon. As a still more convincing proof, the whelps 
often appear of different kinds. In some instances the young 
partakes most of the mother in appearance, in others most 
of the father. In cases of fruitful copulation between a 
pointer and setter, the puppies are, in general, of a mixed 



BREEDING. 23 

breed, between a pointer and setter : but sometimes a pointer 
bitch, breeding by a setter dog, will produce some pointers 
and some setters. 

On the popular subject of breeding from consanguinity, or 
in and in as it is termed, much argument has been used, both 
for it and against it. The early races of human and of brute 
kinds, must of necessity have been produced from the nearest 
degrees of relationship ; and we have no reason to suppose 
that all-wise Nature would have chosen to multiply her chil- 
dren by means tending to their degeneration. Indeed, from 
natural history in general, and from the addition of daily 
experience, we are warranted in concluding, that the fear of 
degeneracy, in consanguineous breeding, is nearly, if not alto- 
gether, ideal. By a judicious selection of perfect parents, 
whether in relationship or otherwise, we may ensure a conti- 
nuance of the original stock. We can also, by an artful se- 
lection of particular varieties, gradually bring about very 
great alterations in the external form ; and which may be 
effected between branches of the same family, as well as be- 
tween strangers. 

While bitches are in pup, they do not appear to suffer 
much derangement in the system ; some, however, are slightly 
affected with sickness and heaviness. It is difficult to detect 
whether a bitch is in pup till five or six weeks are elapsed 
from the warding; but about this time the belly begins to 
drop, and the teats to enlarge. During the last two or three 
days of pregnancy, the belly becomes particularly pendulous, 
and the contents seem to proceed backwards ; but the general 
size does not increase. Bitches usually pup on the 62d, 63d, 
or, at farthest, the 64th day. I have known a solitary puppy 
appear on the 70th day, and that in a case where superfcetation 
was not likely. — See Pupping. 

ooooo© 



$4 BRONCHOCELE. 

JBronchocele. 

Bronchocele is a swelling of the glands of the throat, 
apparently of the thyroid, and is a very common complaint 
among dogs. Pugs, barbets, and French pointers, are pecu- 
liarly liable to it. In the human species, this disease is most 
common to the inhabitants of mountainous countries ; and has 
been, among them, supposed to be dependant on some parti- 
cular quality of the water in those vicinities. But in dogs no 
such peculiarity takes place : it does not appear in them indi- 
genous to any particular soil, but is more confined to some 
particular breeds. Other dogs, as terriers, spaniels, &c. some- 
times, however, have it ; but it is not frequent in these, and 
in the larger tribes it is hardly ever seen. The swelling comes 
on generally while very young, and coutinues to enlarge to a 
certain size ,* after which it usually remains stationary, seldom 
increasing to such a degree as to prove fatal. It is, however, 
troublesome, and in some measure hurtful, from the pressure 
it occasions on the surrounding parts. 

The treatment is not difficult, nor usually unsuccessful, when 
early adopted. One of the following balls should be given 
every day: — 

Burnt sponge 1 dram 

Nitre half a dram. 

Make into six, nine, or twelve balls, according to size, &c. 

Mild mercurial ointment ...„. ........ half an ounce 

Blistering ointment half an ounce. 

Mix, and rub the swellings once a day with a portion equal to 
a hazel nut, or a walnut, according to the size of the dog ; 
first clipping away the hair, and, after the application, wrap- 
ping up the neck with a bandage, to prevent the ointment from 
being rubbed off. During the use of this application, the 
mouth should be examined now and then, to guard against the 
sudden attack of salivation. 

ooeee e 



CANCER. 25 



Cancer. 



According to the fall signification of this term in human 
surgery, dogs are not very liable to it : instances, however, do 
occur of it even in the canine race. I have seen it in its most 
virulent form in cats, first attacking the mammae or teats, and 
then spreading over the abdominal muscles to all the sur- 
rounding parts. I have seen also a very virulent and long- 
continued canker in the ear of a dog become cancerous, and 
spread over the muscles of the face, destroying the eye on the 
affected side ; and, when at last it attacked the tongue and 
throat, the unfortunate auimal was destroyed. 

Schirrows tumours are very common to the mammae or teats 
of bitches, few complaints being more so : but although these 
very frequently ulcerate, yet the further progress of the dis- 
ease is unlike human cancer ; for it always confines itself to 
the immediate gland, and neither affects the health nor pro- 
duces irritation. — See Schirrus and Ulcers. 

Cancers of the vagina and uterus are, however, more fre- 
quent, and have more of the true characters of this dreadful 
disease ; although even here the virulent painful spreading 
sore appears in a milder form. A cancerous affection of 
these parts is frequently brought on by the brutal practice 
of forcing dogs from bitches during copulation, or even of 
throwing cold water over them at .such times. It sometimes 
attacks the labiae, at others the inner surface of the vulvas, 
and sometimes extends to the uterus ; but always presents a 
fungous excrescence, with ulcerated surrounding edges, which 
constantly distil a bloody ichor. 

I have succeeded in detaching the whole affected parts by 
excision, and so have cured the animal ; but, when I could not 
completely effect this, all external applications have failed of 
giving relief. 

oooooo 



26 CANKER IN THE EAR, 



Canker in the Ear^ 

From confinement and luxurious living, dogs become sub- 
jected to various complaints, that evideutly arise from the 
formation of too great a quantity of blood, and other juices ; 
which, not being spent in the support of the body, find them- 
selves other outlets. Canker in the ear, is evidently the pro- 
duction of this disposition in the constitution to throw off the 
superfluity accumulated by heat aud over-feeding. In these 
cases, the dog is first observed to scratch his ear frequently ; 
on looking within which, a dry red scabby appearance is seen, 
from extravasated blood. If the complaint is not stopped in 
this state, it proceeds to ulceration, when the internal part 
of the ear, instead of being filled with dried blood as be- 
fore, is always moist with matter. The dog now continually 
shakes his head from the intolerable itching ; and, if the root 
of the ear is pressed, it crackles and gives him much pain. 
When canker has remained long, the ear becomes closed, and 
the hearing lost : now and then the ulceration penetrates 
inwards, and destroys the dog. I have also known instances 
where the ulceration has assumed a cancerous appearance, 
aud extended itself over the face. 

This complaint appears to have also another source besides 
over-feeding, heat, and confinement ; which is, the action of 
water. It is remarkable that all dogs, who frequent the water 
much, are more particularly disposed to canker than others. 
Any kind of dog may have it ; but Newfoundland dogs, poo- 
dles, and water spaniels, are most liable to it. Perhaps the 
length of hair around their ears, not only keeps these parts 
hot, but also retains the water within, and thus encourages an 
afflux of fluids or humours, as they are termed, to them. That 
the water has this tendency is certain, for I have frequently 
seen it removed, by merely keeping such dogs from the water ; 



CANKER IN THE EAR. 27 

that is, in those cases where the feeding and exercise were 
proportionate, and the fatness has not been inordinate. 

The cure, it is rational to conclude, must be either simple, 
or more complicated, according to the cause producing the 
disease. Whenever there is much fatness, or when the dog 
has been subjected to much confinement in a hot close situa- 
tion, these circumstances must be immediately rectified. Ab- 
stinence and purgatives will reduce the fat ; a cooler situa- 
tion must be chosen, open and unrestrained; full exercise 
must be allowed to assist also in giving another direction to 
the fluids. In those cases where there are symptoms of a 
constitutional foulness, which shew themselves by a red itch- 
ing skin, stinking coat, and mangy eruptions ; in such, in 
addition to exercise, a vegetable diet, and occasional purges, 
cleansing alteratives should be given, as sulphur, uitre, and 
antimony. See Alteratives. — In very bad cases, a seton 
may be very properly introduced in the neck, and suffered to 
remain there, until the benefit derived is very apparent. When 
the cankered dog is very fat, occasional bleeding is also bene- 
ficial. 

External applications are likewise essential to the cure, and 
in some mild cases are all that are necessary, particularly where 
it may be supposed that swimming much, or too frequent 
washing, may have principally tended to produce the com- 
plaint. In the early stages a wash, composed of half a dram 
of sugar of lead, dissolved in four ounces of rose or rain water, 
is often all that is necessary. A small tea-spoonful may be 
introduced (previously warmed to a blood heat, to prevent 
surprise) night and morning, rubbing the root of the ear at 
the same time, to promote the entrance of the wash into the 
cavities. In more obstinate cases, it is prudent to add fifteen 
or twenty grains of white vitriol to the wash ; and if, instead 
of water, a decoction of oak bark is made use of to form the. 
wash, it will greatly promote the end desired. In some cases 
verdigris, mixed with oil, has proved beneficial when intro- 



28 CANKERED FLAP OF THE EAR. 

duced in the same manner. In others, calomel and oil have 
produced amendment in the same way, 

(Cwiker on the Outside of the Ear. 

Although this complaint bears the same name with the 
former, in appearance it is very different. It consists of an 
ill-disposed ulcer, which is usually situated on the lower edge 
of the flap of one or both ears, dividing it into a kind of slit. 
This is kept in a continual state of irritation by the shaking 
of the dog's head. It is not a little remarkable, that whereas 
long-haired dogs (as Newfoundlands, setters, and water spa- 
niels) are more subject to internal canker of the ear ; so smooth- 
coated dogs (as pointers and hounds) are the only ones, in 
general, affected with this outer canker. Pointers and hounds 
who have been rounded, by having the flap shortened, are iess 
liable to it than those who have their ears of the natural length. 
From this circumstance it is common to round them after the 
disease has appeared; but this frequently fails to cure, unless 
the part taken off, extends considerably beyond the surface of 
the ulcerated slit. It is common also to burn out the ulcer 
either with the actual cautery, or with some caustic substance ; 
but this also proves an uncertain cure. 

In full habits, and where over-feeding and confinement may 
be supposed to have had any share in the production of the 
disease, the same rules must be attended to, with regard to 
the constitution generally, as are detailed for the internal 
canker. But in other cases an external application is found 
sufficient. An ointment, made with equal parts of ointment 
of nitrated quicksilver, and Turner's cerate, may be applied 
once a day, carefully securing the ear by a sort of head dress, 
during its use. Or the following may be tried : — 

Corrosive sublimate, very finely powdered 3 grains 

Turner's cerate 1 dram 

Milkof sulphur .,.„..... » 1 scruple. 



CANKERED FLAP OP THE EAR. 29 

In some cases a wash has succeeded, composed of corrosive 
sublimate five grains ; rose water one ounce and a half. 

ccoeoo 

Tumefied Flap of the Ear, 

•From a similar repletion of habit, and an attempt in the 
constitution to find an outlet to the superfluous humours, or 
fluids ; the flap, or pendulous part of the ear, becomes not un- 
frequently the subject of another complaint, which shews itself 
by a tumour, whose prominent part is always on the inner side. 
It sometimes swells to an enormous size, and occupies the 
whole of the inner surface of the flap, presenting a shining, 
painfully tender tumour, which proves very distressing to the 
animal. It is most frequently met with in those dogs whose 
external ears are long and pendulous, as setters, pointers, 
hounds, poodles, and spaniels. 

Attempts at dispersing these tumours always fail ; the only 
mode is to evacuate the contents : but it is too common merely 
to make a small opening for this purpose, which is almost cer- 
tain to heal immediately, and a fresh accumulation takes place 
of the same bloody serum. The tumour ought either to be 
opened its whole length, and a pledget of lint introduced to 
prevent too hasty a union of the outer edges of the sac ; or a 
setou should be introduced the whole length of the swelling, 
which should be suffered to remain for a week or ten days. 
By this means, instead of a discharge of serum, healthy matter 
will form in a few days, and, on the removal of the seton, the 
wounds will close firmly and healthily. The future recurrence 
of the complaint must be prevented, by attending to the con- 
stitution as before directed. It is also proper to remark, that 
all the affections of the flap of the ear are greatly aggravated 
by the force with which they are wrapped against the head by 
shaking it. They should, therefore, always be secured in a 
kind of cap during their medical treatment. 
sc ecc c • • 



SO CASTRATION.,. .CLAWS. 

Castration. 

It now and then becomes prudent to perform this opera- 
tion, from disease of the spermatic chord, or from swellings 
in the testicles themselves. Whenever such a necessity oc- 
curs, although it is not a dangerous operation, it requires the 
assistance of a veterinary, or a human surgeon. Each testicle 
should be taken out of the scrotum separately, and a ligature 
applied, moderately tight only, around the spermatic chord, 
previous to the separation by means of a scalpel or knife. 

In performing this operation on cats, nothing more is requi- 
site, than to make a slight opening on each side the scrotum, 
to slip out the two testicles, and draw them with the fingers. 
The rupture of the spermatic chord prevents haemorrhage, 
and no future inconvenience is felt. It is often found diffi- 
cult to secure a cat for this operation ; but it may be easily 
managed in two ways. One is, by putting the head and fore- 
quarters of the animal into a boot ; the other is managed 
by rolling her whole body lengthways in several yards of 

towelling. 

eeeooo 

Cataract. 
See Blindness. 

ococoo 

Claws. 
Puppies are frequently born with dew claws ; sometimes 
they are double. The dew claws are those small ones situated 
on the inner side, one to each foot, distinct from, and much 
above, the claws of the toes. They are frequently unattached, 
except by a small portion of skin ; but whether attached or 
not, that is, whether there is any bony attachment or not, it 
is always prudent to cut them off in a few days after birth. 



CLAWS....CLYSTERS. 31 

otherwise they become very troublesome as the dog grows up ; 
for the nail attached to the end of it frequently turns in and 
wounds the flesh ; or, by its hook-like shape, it catches into 
every thing the dog treads on. 

The horny claws are also subject, when dogs have not suffi- 
cient exercise, to become preternaturally long, and, by turn- 
ing in, to wound the toe, and lame the dog. The claws, 
when become too long, are often cut off with scissars ; but 
unless the scissars used are very short and strong, they are 
apt to split the claws. It is better, therefore, to saw them 
off with a very fine and hard cockspur saw, and then to file 
them smooth. 

The toes also are subject to a peculiar disease, in which 
one of them will appear very highly inflamed, swollen, and 
somewhat ulcerated, around the claw. In such a case the dog 
employs himself in continually licking it, and which, instead 
of doing good, as is supposed, always makes it worse. This 
complaint is commonly mistaken for some accidental injury, 
and the owner is surprised to find, that neither the dog's lick- 
ing, nor his own attempts to make the toe sound, succeed. 
The fact is, that this is simply a mangy affection, and may be 
readily cured by applying the sixth ointment directed for the 
cure of mange. If it should, however, prove very obstinate, 
the first ointment directed for Canker on the Outside of the 
Ear may be then tried with confidence. In either case, the 
foot must be sewed up in leather, to prevent the dog getting 
at it ; taking particular care not to bind it up too tight : but 
the securing of the diseased part from being licked is essen- 
tially necessary to the cure. 

Clysters. 

Clysters are of the utmost importance in many cases of 
sickness in dogs. They are a most powerful stimulant to the 

G 



32 colic. 

bowels in obstinate obstructions ; and in many instances of 
this kind they alone can be depended upon for the purpose : 
for, when the obstruction arises from an accumulation of 
hardened excrement, which exists far back in the coecum or 
rectum, purging physic by the mouth loses all its efficacy, 
and, in fact, increases the evil. In inflammations of the bow- 
els, bladder, kidnies, or womb, clysters have the additional 
advantage of acting as a fomentation. Cases wherein they 
may be beneficially used as nutriment likewise, occur very 
frequently : as when there exists so obstinate a sickness, that 
nothing will remain on the stomach ; or when food cannot be 
passed by the mouth, as in locked jaw, in fractures, or in 
wounds of the mouth, face, or throat. In all such cases, clys- 
ters of broth, gravy, or gruel, will afford a very considerable 
share of nourishment : a small proportion of opium, as twenty 
drops of laudanum, may be given in each, to enable them to 
be longer retained. Astringent clysters, as starch, rice-water, 
alum whey, alumine infusion, infusion of red roses, or of oak 
bark, are useful in violent loosenesses. Purging clysters may 
be made of veal or mutton broth, with a portion of salt or 
moist sugar in them : the effect may be quickened by adding 
castor oil or Epsom salts. 

Clysters are very easily administered to dogs, and no appa- 
ratus is so convenient for the purpose as the common pipe 
and bladder. The liquid should be warm, but not hot; the 
quantity from three ounces, to six or eight, according to the 
size of the dog, &c. : the pipe should be greased previous to 
its introduction, and the tail held down a minute or two after 
its removal. 

Colic. 

Colicky pains may be the effect of Inflammation, or of 
Constipation, or there may be a Bilious colic. All these are 
treated of under Inflamed Bowels. 



colic. 33 

Spasmodic colic will be further noticed under Rheumatism, 
which is by much the most fertile source of it in dogs. But 
besides this, there is a spasmodic constriction of the bowels 
that now and then occurs, most distressing in its symptoms, 
obstinate in its character, and very often fatal in its termina- 
tion. Some years ago I attributed these cases, which are not 
unfrequent, to worms ; and I am still inclined to think that 
these animals, particularly the tape worm, will now and then 
occasion similar symptoms. A person, not very conversant 
in the diseases of dogs, might also conclude that the head, in 
these cases, was the seat of the complaint ; but innumerable 
instances have convinced me, that the bowels, and they only, 
are primarily affected with a spasmodic affection, which is 
attended with a slight degree of inflammation. 

The symptoms are dulness, loss of appetite, hot nose, but 
hotter forehead, some panting, and much restlessness. In 
some cases there are great appearances of occasional pain ; in 
others they are less observable, but in all there is a particular 
stupor, and a very remarkable inclination to run round in a 
circle, and always in the same direction. The sight seems 
affected, and sometimes the senses are wholly lost ; at others, 
although the stupor is considerable, yet the faculties are not 
totally obscured. In some cases paralysis is present, and the 
head is drawn to one side ; and it is always to the same side 
that, when capable of moving, he described the circle towards. 
The limbs become also helpless in these cases of paralysis, 
and contracted likewise. 

The duration of the complaint is various. It sometimes 
destroys in a few days, while some cases linger two or even 
three weeks ; but eventually five out of every six attacked 
with it, die. On dissection, slight marks of inflammation ap- 
pear, and now and then intussusception is met with ; but in 
all, there are constringed and lessened parts of the bowels, 
while other portions seem larger than natural, as though they 
had lost all their tone. 

G 2 



54* CONDITION. 

The treatment I have found most successful has been early 
evacuations, combined with repeated warm bathing, and cam- 
phorated embrocations to the bowels. Strong anodyne clys- 
ters frequently administered, together with large doses 6f 
aether, laudanum, and camphor, as prescribed under Spasm, 
are proper. In one instance strong shocks of electricity did 
good, and, in another, repeated affusions of cold water re- 
lieved : but in others this method seemed to aggravate the 
symptoms. Although the head seems particularly affected in 
this complaint, being hot, with flushed ey^s, and the animal 
apparently suffering great pain in it, which may be known by 
the disposition to press it against the hand, when held to it, 
and by the relief experienced when rubbing it ; yet no appli : 
cation to the head, as leeches, blisters, &c, ever relieve. I 
am, therefore, convinced it is in the bowels only we are to 
look for the origin of the ailment. In puppies it often occurs 
also, but is then not attended with stupor, or the disposition 
to turn round. In some few cases I have thought I could 
trace the affection to the action of lead. 



Condition. 

The term condition, as applied to dogs, is correspondent 
with the same term as used among horses ; and is intended to 
characterise a healthy external appearance, united with a ca- 
pability, from full wiud and perfect vigour, to go through all 
the exercises required of them. It is, therefore, evident, that 
condition is of material consequence to sportsmen : indeed, it 
is of infinitely more importance than is generally imagined. 
What would be thought of the sporting character, who should 
enter his horse for racing without any previous training? 
And how much chance would he be presumed to have, even 
to save his distance, without this precaution ? Is it not equally 
reasonable to suppose that pointers, setters, spaniels, and, more 



CONDITION. 35 

than all, greyhounds, require training ; or, in other words, 
to be in full condition also? It is notorious, that pointers, 
setters, and spaniels, if they are what is termed foul in their 
uqats,, never have their scent in perfection. It must be equally 
evident that, unless they are in wind, they cannot range with 
speed and durability ; and, without some previous training, it 
is impossible they should be in full wind. Those persons, 
therefore, who expect superior exertion from their dogs in the 
field, would do well to prepare them by a previous atten- 
tion to their condition. In greyhounds, intended either for 
matches, or simple coursing, it is evident that this is abso- 
lutely necessary to ensure success. In simple or mere cours- 
ing, they are pitted against an animal very nearly equal in 
speed to themselves, and which animal is always in condition 
by its habits. If, therefore, a flog of acknowledged goodness 
is beaten by a hare, especially at the beginning of the season ; 
it is ten to one but the condition of the dog is at fault. It is 
self evident that a perfect condition must be more than equally 
important in coursing matches. 

, The manner of getting dogs into condition is very simple, 
and either consists in reducing the animal from too full and 
soft a state, to one of firmness and less bulk : or it consists in 
raising a lean and reduced dog to lustiness, hardness, and 
vigour. Some sportsmen prefer the one state, and some the 
other, to begin upon. If a dog is fat, his treatment must be 
immediately begun upon, by physic and exercise, but not by 
a privation of food ; and it must be particularly observed, 
that his doses of physic be mild, and often repeated. The 
gxercise should be at first gradual and slow, but long conti- 
nued ; and at last it should be increased to nearly what he 
will be accustomed to when hunting. If there is the least 
fqujness apparent in the habit, besides physic, awj exercise, 
alteratives should be given also. — See Alteratives. — Some 
sportsmen regularly dress their dogs, before the hunting sea- 



36 GOSTIVENESS. 

son, with sulphur, even though no breaking out appears, and 
I by no means thiuk the practice a bad one. 

When a lean dog is to be got into condition, less physic is 
necessary ; but good flesh feeding, plenty of exercise, and a 
due administration of alteratives, are principally to be re- 
sorted to : nevertheless, one or two doses of very mild physic 
will here also promote the condition, and even assist the accu- 
mulation of flesh.— See Feeding and Exercise. 

©soooo 

Costiveness. 

All carnivorous animals have naturally a dry constipated 
habit. Dogs are of a mixed nature, and can live indiscri- 
minately on vegetable or animal substances, although they 
greatly prefer the latter, which seem likewise more congenial 
with their nature. Dogs, therefore, have almost without 
exception a costive habit; but the tendency thereto is increased 
or lessened according as they are supported, wholly or in part, 
on animal matter. The dogs that are kept as favourites about 
the person, are too apt to have their inclination for animal 
food indulged, which, added to their confinement, and the 
heat in which they live, produces this tendency to costiveness 
in them in the greatest degree. 

Costiveness is productive of numerous evils ; it increases 
the disposition to mange and other foulness. It also produces 
indigestion, encourages worms, makes the breath foetid, and 
blackens the teeth : but it is principally to be avoided from 
the danger, that the contents of the bowels may accumulate 
and bringou inflammation. — See Inflamed Bowels. — When- 
ever a dog has been costive three days, and one or two mo- 
derate aperients have failed of opening the bowels, it is not 
prudent to push the means of relief farther by more violent 
physic ; for this would be apt to hurry the contents of the 



COUGH. 37 

intestinal canal into one mass, whose resistance being too 
great for the bowels to overcome, the accumulation is sure to 
produce inflammation. Mild aperients may be continued, but 
clysters are principally to be depended upon. — See Clysters. 
— In such cases, the introduction of the clyster pipe will often 
detect a hardened mass of excrement. If the action of the 
pipe, or the operation of the liquid, should not break this 
down ; it is absolutely necessary to introduce the finger, or, in 
a very small dog, a lesser apparatus, and mechanically to 
divide the mass and bring it away. 

The recurrence of costiveness is best prevented by vegetable 
food, and exercise : but when vegetable food disagrees, or is 
obstinately refused, boiled liver often proves a good means of 
counteracting the complaint. — See Feeding. 



Cough. 

Dogs and horses are both very subject to coughs ; but, 
while the latter have only an acute and a chronic kind to 
contend with, dogs are troubled with several kinds ; and, as 
these arise from very different causes, call for varied treat- 
ments, and have very different terminations ; so they require 
particularizing. One of the most common coughs to which 
dogs are liable is that which usually accompanies distemper. 
This, in general, is short and dry, producing an effort to bring 
up a little frothy mucus. This cough usually appears when 
a dog is just attaining his full growth, at some time be- 
tween four and twelve months. When, therefore, a young dog 
coughs much, shivers, is dull, and wastes, though he may eat 
as usual, it is more than probable that such dog has the cough 
of distemper; which must be treated by the means recom- 
mended under that head. 

Sometimes a young full grown dog has a short occasional 
cough, that may likewise produce nausea, with the accompa- 



38 COUGH... .CROPPING. 

niments of staring hair, and foetor of the breath. This kind 
arises usually from worms, and is to be cured by the means 
recommended nnder the article Worms. 

Dogs are also liable to cough from a common cold taken. 
This kind of cough may be distinguished from any other, by 
its particular shortness, and by its distressing frequency. It 
resembles, in some degree, the cough of distemper, but is 
more urgent. The treatment of this kind should be begun, if 
considerable, by bleeding : after which an emetic of one, two, 
or three graius of emetic tartar, according to the size of the 
dog, may be given. In case that is not at hand, a tea-spoonful 
to a desert-spoonful of common salt may be substituted. These 
may be followed by the powders directed under the head 
Inflamed Lungs. 

Another frequent cough in dogs is the asthmatic one, which 
usually comes on slowly ; gradually becoming hollow and so- 
norous. It is less frequent than either of the former coughs, 
at least it is so till the complaint has attained its full height. 
The cough of asthma may be readily distinguished from the 
others, by attending to the subject Asthma. 



Cramp. 

See Spasm. 

eeeeeo 

Cropping. 

It is a pity that this custom could not be altogether abo- 
lished. Nature gave nothing in vain ; some parts being in- 
tended for use, and some for beauty. That must, therefore, 
be a false taste, which has taught us to prefer a curtailed 
shape to a perfect one, without gaining any convenience by 
the operation. 

Puppies should not be cropped before the fourth or fifth 



CROPPING. 39 

week of their age : when the ears are cut earlier, they sprout 
again, and the form of the crop cannot be so well directed as 
when the ear is more developed. It is a barbarous custom 
to twist them off by swinging the dog round, and it never 
produces so much beauty as cutting them with scissars, which 
should be large and sharp.— In cropping terriers, begin at the 
hinder root of the ear, close to the head; and, when this cut 
is carried through, one other cross cut from the root at the 
front of the head, if managed with dexterity, will be sufficient, 
and make an excellent fox crop, without torturing the animal 
with numerous trimmings. The less oblique the second cut 
is carried, the more sharp and foxy will the crop prove. A 
rounded crop may be made at one cut. The cropping of 
pug puppies is the most painful of any ; the cuts must, in 
general, be repeated, and carried close to the root of the ear ; 
as upon the total absence of external ears (which gives an 
appearance of roundness to the head) is the beauty of the 
animal supposed to consist. It is best to crop puppies in the 
absence of the bitch ; for it is erroneous to suppose that her 
licking the wounded edges does good ; on the contrary, it 
on|y increases pain, and deprives the young animals of the 
best balsam, which is the bjlood. 

Rounding, which is a species of cropping, is also performed 
on pointers and hounds, both as a prevention and cure of. the 
canker ; but in this case only a portion of the flap is taken off. 
When rounding becomes absolutely necessary for the cure of 
canker, from all other means having failed, (see Canker), care 
should be taken that the cutting may go beyond the root of 
the canker, or the disease will return. When rounding is per- 
formed on a number of dogs, it is, in general, done with a 
rounding iron. 

Tailing. — When a dog is cropped, it is usual also to cut off 
a portion of the tail. Dog fanciej-s, as they are termed, com- 
monly bite it off; but it were to be wished that a larger por- 



40 DISLOCATIONS. 

tion was added to both their knowledge and humanity. The 
tail does not grow materially after cutting, therefore the length 
may be previously determined on with sufficient accuracy, and 
cut off with a pair of sharp scissars. If the ears and tail are 
cut off at the same time, it is prudent to tie a ligature about the 
tail to prevent the effusion of blood, as sometimes the bleed- 
ing, from both ears and tail together, will weaken the animal 
too much : but, when the tail alone is cut, no ligature is ne- 
cessary. When a ligature is used, neither tie it too tight, nor 
suffer it to remain more than twelve hours. 



Diarrhoea. 
See Looseness. 

©eooeo 

Dislocations. 

The joints most liable to this injury are the shoulder and 
knee before, and the stifle and hip behind. It is not easy for 
any person to effect the reduction of a dislocation, but one ha- 
bituated to the practice of surgery, and acquainted with the 
anatomy of the animal. As circumstances, however, necessary 
to observe in all cases, it may be remarked that, when a dislo- 
cation has happened, care should be taken to examine whether 
there is a fracture also, which is frequently the case. Under 
these circumstances the treatment is more complex, from the 
difficulty of reducing the dislocation, without using too much 
violence to the limb. — See Fracture. — The mode of detect- 
ing a fracture in these cases is not difficult. On moving the 
joint, in case there is fracture, there will be an evident rough- 
ness and grating of the bones, which will be sensibly felt by 
the hand. 

When it is attempted to reduce a simple dislocation, it is 



DISLOCATIONS. 41 

evident that the direction in which the dislocated bone is 
parted from its socket should be first taken into consideration 
in the means used for reducing it. A moderately firm exten- 
sion should then be made by two persons ; one holding the 
body and one part of the joint, and the other supporting the 
immediate dislocated limb, at the same time giving the luxated 
end a direction towards its socket. If this extension is suffi- 
ciently and properly made, the dislocated bone will slip into 
its place, and render the limb perfect. When the shoulder is 
dislocated, which is a rare occurrence, it may be forwards or 
backwards. It is generally forwards. The elbow may be dis- 
located either inwards or outwards ; it happens more usually 
inwards. 

The hip joint is more frequently dislocated than either of 
the former, and, in such cases, it is most common for the 
head of the thigh bone to be carried upwards and backwards, 
which makes the hip of that side sensibly higher and more 
backward than the other, and renders it easily detected. The 
muscles of the loins are so strong, that reduction of the thigh 
is often difficult, although a firm and judicious extension will 
effect it. The knee or stifle joint, which is that next the 
hip, is also subject to dislocation. This more frequently oc- 
curs inward than outward ; and, from the strength of the sur- 
rounding muscles, is also often found difficult to reduce. It 
is but seldom, likewise, that the elbow is dislocated without a 
fracture also. 

When a dislocation has been reduced, a pitch or other 
adhesive plaster should be applied around the joint to keep it 
in its place ; which may be further assisted by a proper band- 
age. It may be useful to remark, that the inexperienced prac- 
titioner can no way detect the presence of either a dislocation 
or a fracture, so well as by comparing the sound limb or joint 
attentively with the unsound one. 

oeooe e 



42 THE DISTEMPER. 

The Distemper. 

This loathsome complaint, though now so general and com- 
mon, does not appear to have been known a century ago ; and 
even yet, throughout the European Continent, it is considered 
as an epidemic that visits the different countries every three 
or four years. In the Grand Encyclopedic Methodique the 
disease is thus described : " II c'est jette, il y a quelques an- 
" nees, une maladie epidemique sur les chiens dans toute 
" FEurope ; il en est mort une grand partie sans que Ton put 
" trouver de remede au mal." — Livraison LIX Chasses. But 
now, in England at least, hardly any dog escapes it; from a con- 
stitutional liability born with the animal, and which is brought 
into action either by the force of the predisposition, or by the 
agency of some occasional cause, as a cold, &c. In most in- 
stances, the attack occurs either before or about the period 
fchat a dog attains his full growth. Dogs however will, in 
some very few instances, escape it altogether, and others have 
it at two, three, or even many years old ; no period whatever 
being exempt from its attack. In pugs, terriers, and some 
others, it will sometimes appear in two or three weeks, after 
they are born ; and which early appearance is more frequent 
with pugs than with any other kind of dog. Neither is it very 
rare for dogs to have distemper a second time ; which second 
attack generally takes place within a year from the first : but 
sometimes a much longer period occurs between the illnesses, 
and I have seen dogs attacked with it more than twice even; 
this, however^ is very rare. 

.^The distemper commences its attack in various ways; in 
fact, it is a disease that, in its rise, appearances, progress, 
duration, and termination, exhibits more varieties than any 
other complaint. In numerous cases that occur, the first 
symptom noticed, is a violent looseness or scowering ; in others, 
an occasional fit betokens its approach ; but in the majority 



THE DISTEMPER. 43 

of instances the first appearances observed, are, a gradual 
wasting ; the dog losing flesh, perhaps for weeks even, before 
much notice is taken of it. A slight cough is also present, and 
by degrees the nose and eyes become moister than usual, and 
water runs froni them in small quantities. This watery mois- 
ture soon changes to pus or matter, and the eyes and nose 
appear glued up with it, particularly when the dog is first 
observed in the morning. This affection of the nose produces 
very frequent sneezing, with a great disposition to rub the eyes 
arid face ; but, according as one part or another is the prin- 
cipal seat of the complaint, so do the symptoms vary ; and as* 
the parts, that become the primary objects of attack, are very 
numerous ; so does it present a greater variety in its symptoms 
than any other disease with which we are acquainted. The appear- 
ances of fever are usually considerable ; therefore distempered 
dogs shiver much, and anxiously seek the fire ; they are dull, 
have a disinclination to food, and are frequently troubled with 
an occasional sickness and throwing up. Some cough usually 
accompanies the complaint, but not invariably ; for iu some 
cases there is hardly any ; while, in other instances, it is con- 
stant and distressing, producing ineffectual efforts to vomit ; 
and, by its short dry sound, bespeaking much inflammation of 
the bronchial passages. 

The above are the general symptoms that characterise the 
complaint ; some few cases have them nearly all at the same 
time ; others have some only. The varieties are immense ; 
but it may be considered as certain, that no dog has distemper 
without some of these detailed symptoms. In some the dis- 
ease is very long, even many weeks, before it arrives at its 
height ; in others, it appears in full force in a few days after 
it makes its attack. 

Its commencement may be very frequently attributed to 
some accidental cause, as unusual exposure to cold, &c. 
Throwing into the water, or carelessly washing a dog without 
properly drying him, is a very common cause of it. Another 



44 THE DISTEMPER. 

very general origin of the disease is in contagion. A dog, 
who has not had it, seldom escapes if he remains in the com- 
pany of one who has it. It appears at sometimes, however, 
much more easily taken than at others, and, when imbibed in 
this way, it is longer or shorter in its approach, according to 
the state of the dog's health and other circumstances. Many 
other causes, however, beside contagion or a simple cold 
taken, will produce the disease ; for, as has been already ob- 
served, there is a predisposition in every dog towards it, which 
is so considerable, that any derangement in the system is suffi- 
cient for the purpose. I have seen it brought on from violent 
haemorrhage, and also from an occasional alteration in the 
food ; but this alteration has always been from a full to a low 
diet. Full feeding, on the contrary, I regard as a preserva- 
tive ; and it certainly is prudent to keep puppies well, parti- 
cularly those exposed to distemper; for I have ever found 
those least obnoxious to its attack, as well as fare best under 
the disease, who were in the best condition. 

Some breeds also have it much worse than others ; so much 
so, that a whole litter of one bitch will die, while a litter of 
another bitch will have it very mildly. Particular kinds of 
dogs have it also more violently than others. It is very fatal to 
pugs and greyhounds ; terriers have it likewise badly : and 
it may be regarded as a general rule, that, the younger a dog 
has it, the worse will the disease prove. Very young puppies 
seldom live with it. 

As has been before stated, the immediate part of the body 
that it makes its primary attack upon is various, according to 
circumstances. It commonly is first observed in the head, 
but does not always remain wholly there, soon spreading itself 
to other parts ; sometimes to one, sometimes another. When 
it exists principally in the head, it produces sneezing, watery 
eyes and nose, and every appearance of a violent cold taken. 
At other times it seems to affect the bowels principally, in 
which cases there is an absence of almost every other synip" 



THE DISTEMPER. 45 

torn but a violent looseness. The chest, in some instances, 
seems more affected than the head, and then a short dis- 
tressing cough appears before the running from the nose and 
eyes commences. Now and then the first attack appears to 
be made on the loins ; a weakness in which, and the hinder 
extremities, is the first symptom observed : but this originates in 
the head. In the greater number of cases, however, this 
weakness, which is very common, comes on some time after 
the other symptoms have appeared. 

In some, the disease will make its attack by an universal 
eruption over the body, particularly under the belly, and down 
the inside of the thighs. This eruption is pustular, and the 
pustules are not very dissimilar to those of the small pox. In 
one year in particular, almost every case that fell under my 
notice was accompanied with this appearance. It was also 
attended with very deep yellow-coloured urine, and great 
marks of biliary affection. I have also seen distemper com- 
mence by a violent inflammatory tumour in some part of 
the body, particularly of the head, which sometimes proceeds 
to suppurate ; but this is not a common mode of attack. 

The distemper is very frequently attended with convulsions : 
it is also now and then preceded by them. These convulsive 
affections are of two kinds : one is a simple paralytic affection, 
which, in addition to the weakness, frequently leaves a spas- 
modic twitching also in one or more of the limbs for life. The 
other is a perfect fit, in which every part of the body becomes 
convulsed and strangely contorted, attended sometimes with 
a total, sometimes with only a partial, mental alienation. 
When distemper is preceded by one of these fits; or when, 
very early in the complaint, an occasional fit now and then 
occurs, such a dog is not unlikely to recover : but when the 
disease has made some considerable progress, and fits come 
on, followed in succession by each other, the animal very sel- 
dom recovers. The fits of distemper appear frequently trifling 
at first, and produce only a slight champing of the mouth, with 



46 THE DISTEMPER. 

a little froth ; from which state a dog may be almost imme- 
diately brought out by throwing cold water in the face, or by 
coaxing and kindness, which will likewise often do it. These 
fits, when they have once appeared, gradually strengthen, 
and, becoming more obstinate, they wear down the animal on 
the second or third day from their appearance. 

When a dog has become emaciated from the disease, and his 
appetite has failed, it often happens that he suddenly appears 
more cheerful, eats heartily, and his eyes brighten : but these 
appearances are fallacious, and commonly denote that fits are 
approaching. If the appetite becomes at once, not only con- 
siderable, but greedy, and the eyes look very bright and spark- 
ling, the event may be considered as certain. In some in- 
stances, the sudden stopping of the looseness is, likewise, the 
forerunner of the convulsions : but this only happens when 
the stoppage takes place> of itself. When the looseness, 
or diarrhoea, is overcome by medicine, such an event rarely 
occurs. 

Another type of the complaint is that of a malignant putrid 
fever, in which there is great emaciation, extreme weakness, 
a total loss of appetite, accompanied with an enormous dis- 
charge of matter from the eyes and nose, but particularly from 
the latter. The discharge, as the disease verges towards its 
latter stages, becomes bloody and very foetid ; and the whole 
body likewise emits a cadaverous effluvia. This putrid state 
is very difficult to cope with, and commonly wears the animal 
down, by the violence of the discharge, and the putrid altera- 
tion effected in the solids and fluids of the body. 

The distemper appears also to vary in different seasons, 
and the type of the complaint becomes epidemical. In one 
year, most of the cases that occur prove distressing, from the 
obstinate looseness that accompanies the disease ; on the con- 
trary, in the next year little of this will be seen, but fits, per- 
haps, will be the prevailing symptom : while the third year 
will exhibit the complaint in a most putrid and malignant 



THE DISTEMPER. 47 

form; but actively inflammatory appearances shall rage in 
less proportion. In general, I have remarked, that fits are 
most prevalent in winter, and purging in summer: but, like 
other rules, these admit of exceptions, fn the summer of 
1805, many of the subjects affected with distemper had a pe- 
culiar affection of the bowels. It commenced suddenly, like 
spasmodic colic, and gave great pain ; but it neither relaxed 
nor constipated the bowels. It continued to affect the pa- 
tients very acutely for two or three days, and then generally 
terminated fatally. Those cases that did recover appeared 
to be benefited by active purgatives of calomel and aloes. 

Treatment of Distemper. — According to the mode in which 
the disease attacks a dog, so must the treatment be conducted. 
It is to the immense varieties in the complaint, that we must 
attribute that endless number of remedies continually pre- 
scribed for it ; every one of which, from being occasionally 
beneficial, becomes, in the mind of the person using it, in- 
fallible. Distemper is, therefore, seldom spoken of among a 
number of sportsmen; but every one of them knows of a certain 
cure, one that has never failed with him. I have, however, 
when I could gain a knowledge of the composition, always 
given these nostrums, or private recipes, a fair trial : but I 
never yet found any one of them that at all answered the ac- 
count given of it. In fact, the varieties in the complaiut arc 
so numerous, that, hardly any two cases can be treated alike; 
consequently no, one remedy can be applicable to every case : 
for, however efficacious it may prove in a number of instances, 
a judicious attention must be paid to the varying symptoms. 

Perhaps two out of every three cases of distemper com- 
mence by dulness, inclination to sleep, wasting, shivering, 
Some cough, with a flow of moisture from the eyes and nose. 
In these instances, the proper course is to commence with an 
emetic. — See Emetics. — Should there be any disposition to 
costiveness, if the dog is strong and fat, give also a mild 
fmrge.; but if be is weakly, or the; least inclined to looseness, 

H 



48 THE DISTEMPER, 

abstain From the purge. After the emetic, or purge, has 
ceased to operate some hours, give one, two, or three grains 
of James's Powder every morning, or every evening, or both, 
according as the symptoms are more or less urgent. But in 
cases where the cough proves very considerable, the following 
powders would be preferable : — 

James's Powder 12 grains 

Powdered foxglove 8 grains 

Nitre, in powder half a dram. 

Mix, and divide into ten powders if the dog is small, into 
seven if middling sized, and into five if large ; and give one 
night and morning. Continue this plan for two or three days ; 
after which, if the dog remains stroug, give another emetic, and, 
when worked off, recommence the fever remedies. Should 
purging come on, discontinue these medicines, and have re- 
course to those detailed under the head Looseness. 

But should no looseness appear, as soon as the inflamma- 
tory symptoms have somewhat abated, and when, instead of 
a watery moisture, the eyes and nose exude pus, or matter ; 
then the fever remedies, above described, may very properly 
give place to others. 

•It is at this period of the disease I have experienced the 
happiest effects from the popular Distemper Remedy, disco- 
vered by me. This medicine has stood the test of more than 
twenty years' trial ; and although the varied appearances in 
the complaint render other auxiliaries absolutely necessary : 
yet no case of distemper can occur (that only excepted in 
which the purging continues without intermission) in which 
this Powder may not be given with benefit in some stage of 
the disease. 

Whenever, therefore, this remedy is within reach, I would 
strongly recommend that it may be tried at this period of the 
complaint, according to the directions given with it. It should 
also be repeated as long as the benefit resulting from it is 
striking and marked. But some cases will occur in which the 



THE DISTEMPER. 49 

weakness that is apt to ensue on the purulent state renders 
other aids necessary ; and others may happen where this 
remedy is not at band, or has been tried without a striking 
amendment : so it will be prudent in such instances, after the 
directions already detailed have been complied with, to pro- 
ceed with the following tonic plan of treatment ; of which it 
is not too much to say, that it will prove nearly as universal in 
its application, and not less salutary iu its effect, than even 
the specific above alluded to : — 

Gum myrrh 1 dram 

Gum benjamin 2 scruples 

Balsam of Peru 1 dram 

Camomile flowers, powdered 2 drams 

Camphor 1 scruple. 

Mix with honey, conserve of roses, or other adhesive matter, 
into twelve, nine, or six balls, according to the size of the 
dog, and give one night and morning. 

If very great weakness comes on, if the matter from the 
eyes and nose flows rapidly, and the dog becomes foetid, add 
two drams of cascarilla bark, and a grain of opium. In such 
eases also, strong gravies, or gruel made as caudle with ale 
in it, should be given two or three times a-day. Meat balls 
may be also forced dowu, if the dog will not eat voluntarily. 

During every stage of distemper, and under every variety, 
except the very inflammatory state which occurs in the com- 
mencement, it is proper to feed liberally ; and, as soon as the 
animal refuses his food, it is equally proper that nutriment 
should be forced down.— See this subject of feeding the sick 
at the commencement of the work. 

But, from what has been said, it will be evident that the 
foregoing type is not the constant one by which distemper 
makes its attack ; on the contrary, it sometimes commences 
by a looseness, which is unfortunately often supposed useful. 
In which cases, from a fear of the consequences of checking 
it, the dog is very frequently brought so low as to be past 

H 2 



50 THE DISTEMPER. 

recovery. But it is to be remarked, that even in the very 
first stages the purging should always be checked, if not en* 
tirely stopped : and, at all other periods of the complaint, it 
should be entirely and immediately stopped. At whatever 
period likewise it occurs, during the progress of the complaint, 
when other remedies are administered ; it is proper that they 
should be suspended, and astringents only used, until the 
diarrhoea has entirely ceased, when the former remedies may 
be again had recourse to. — See Looseness. 

Sometimes, though it is not very frequently the case, the 
distemper commences by a convulsive fit ; in which instance 
also it is proper to begin the treatment by an emetic, and to 
follow it up by a purgative. It may be proper to remark in 
this place, that, should fits come on during the progress of 
the complaint also, immediately that the dog comes out of 
the convulsion a very strong emetic should be given ; and, 
in case other fits succeed after the emetic, the following may 
be tried : — 

JEther 1 dram 

Laudanum half a dram 

Camphor 10 grains 

Spirit of hartshorn 1 dram, 

Mix, and give forty, sixty, or eighty drops, according to size, 
every hour or two, in a spoonful of ale. Keep the animal 
very warm, avoid irritation, force nourishment, and endeavour 
to shorten every fit, by sprinkling cold water in the face, and 
likewise by soothing language and manner, which have often 
the happiest effect in lessening the force and duration of the 
fits. If these means should happily succeed, continue to keep 
the animal quiet, and particularly refrain from giving much 
exercise, which is apt to bring on a recurrence of the fits. 

The importance of the subject renders it not improper 
fcgain to repeat, that, of all the symptoms that appear, convul- 
sive fits are the most fatal. It is, therefore, of the utmost 
consequence to endeavour to prevent their occurrence; for, 



THE DISTEMPER. 51 

when once they have made their attack, art is too apt to fail 
in overcoming them. The best preventive means that I know 
of, are, to avoid, or to remove every thing that may tend to 
weaken, as looseness, low poor diet, too much exercise, ex- 
posure to cold, extreme evacuation from the nose, and, no 
less, the operation of mental irritation, from fear, surprise, 
or regret ; all of which are very common causes of fits in 
distemper. 

But when these convulsive affections have actually come 
on, the constitution must be immediately roused by active 
means. I have always found a strong emetic among the most 
efficient, and which it has been sometimes prudent to repeat. 
The situation the animal is kept in ought to be extremely 
warm ; the cordial antispasmodic medicine, already prescribed, 
should be industriously pushed to its greatest extent; nor 
should nutriment be forgotten also, which, if not willingly 
taken, ought to be forced down. 

It will, perhaps, excite some surprise, that I have so long 
omitted to mention that very popular remedy for distemper, 
a seton in the neck. In truth, I think setons very seldom de- 
serve the commendation bestowed on them ; on the contrary, 
I believe they frequently do more harm than good. In the 
latter stages of the complaint, I am certain they weaken the 
patient, and prove very hurtful. In one state in which dis- 
temper sometimes commences, however, I think them highly 
advisable ; and this is where there is evidently much active 
inflammation going on in the head : that is, when at the very 
outset of the complaint there is such an impatience of light, 
that the dog cannot face it, but blinks, closes his eyes, and 
hides himself as much as possible from it. The state I allude 
to, is not, when the eyes are closed with matter, but it is at 
an earlier period of the complaint, and at one that, in general 
cases, the eyes are affected with a watery moisture only, which 
in these instances is also present; but with a vastly increased 
state of irritability in these organs, which are not only inca- 



52 THE DISTEMPER. 

pable of bearing the light, but exhibit, when looked into, a 
highly red and inflammatory appearance within the centre of 
the globe. 

When these symptoms are present, I would recommend 
the use of setons in the neck, as the best means of causing a 
counter action. In such cases, also, warm steamings to the 
head, or even fomentations of vinegar and water, may be very 
properly tried. For, it may be regarded as a rule subject to 
few exceptions, that these appearances prognosticate that the 
animal will have the complaint badly ; these cases, in general, 
becoming soon affected with convulsions. If a dog thus at- 
tacked is moderately strong, and in tolerable condition, bleed- 
ing and purging are also proper ; but eveu here the lowering 
system must not be pursued too far : for, as it has been ob- 
served, that fits are common accompaniments to this state; 
so too much weakening would only hasten their attack. 

In a more advanced stage of distemper, when the eyes have 
become ulcerated, treat them as directed under Diseases of 
the Eyes : and it may not be improper to remark here, that 
the ulcers arising from distemper, though they may appear to 
have actually destroyed the eye, will yet often gradually heal, 
and the sight will return uninjured. This regeneration is, 
however, peculiar to the ophthalmia of distemper. 

To recapitulate the general treatment under all the usual 
circumstances of the complaint, the following rules may be 
regarded as a summary : — Feed liberally ; avoid looseness of 
bowels ; exercise moderately only ; keep warm ; carefully 
avoid irritation ; and ever keep in mind, that it is a disease, 
more than any other, liable to a recurrence : therefore do not 
discontinue the care or the medical treatment for at least three 
weeks after the recovery has appeared complete. As also a 
recurrence of the complaint usually appears by a sudden fit, 
which is generally followed up by others very difficult to 
combat with; so this secondary attack should be carefully guard- 
ed against. But, in the event of the recurrence of the disease, 



DROPSY. 53 

should a fit be the first symptom of it, immediately give a 
strong emetic, and proceed as directed before. Sometimes, 
also, the recurrence appears by returning dulness, and disin- 
clination to food : in other instances the purging returns. Iu 
either case, the former treatment also, directed as proper for 
these states, must be resorted to ; but principally the tonic 
and strengthening plan, which should be continued a consi- 
derable length of time after all symptoms have ceased. 



Dropsy. 

This is by no means an uncommon complaint in dogs. 
They are most subject to ascites, or dropsy of the belly. In 
the next degree they have dropsy of the chest : less frequently 
they have encysted dropsy ; and least of all are they subject 
to anasarca, or dropsy of the skin, unless when accompanied 
by ascites. 

Ascites, or dropsy of the belly, as I have before remarked, 
is not an uncommon disease, and a prodigious quantity of 
water is sometimes accumulated within the abdomen. The 
causes of the disease are various. Among the most common 
are long-continued asthma, and a diseased liver. Mange, also, 
long continued /tnd wholly neglected, very frequently dege- 
nerates into dropsy. The accumulation of water is sometimes 
slow, at others very rapid ; and the symptoms that precede 
the attack are, of course, as varied as the causes that produce 
it. In some cases the forerunner is a harsh cough ; in other 
instances nothing is observed but a ravenous appetite; and 
the dog, though he eats an additional quantity, yet wastes in 
flesh. Gradually, however, his belly begins to swell, and 
grows round, hard, and shining. The breathing becomes- quick 
and laborious, and he lies down with difficulty; he drinks 
much : and, though in the early stages he may eat heartily, 



54 DROPSY. 

yet, as the disease advances, his appetite fails, and, sooner of 
later, he becomes suffocated from the pressure which the 
water makes on the diaphragm, or membrane that parts the 
lungs from the bowels. 

Dropsy of the belly may be distinguished from fat, by the 
particular tumour that the belly forms, which, in dropsy, 
hangs down, while the back bone sticks up, and the hips ap- 
pear prominent through the skin : the hair 1 stares also, and 
the coat is peculiarly harsh. It may be distinguished from 
being in pup, by the teats, which always enlarge as the belly 
enlarges in pregnancy : but more particularly it may be dis- 
tinguished by the undulation of the water in the belly, whereas 
in pregnancy there is no undulation. The impregnated belly, 
however full, has not that tight tense feel nor shining appear- 
ance observed in dropsy. There may be alsO inequalities dis- 
tinguished in it, which are the puppies; and, when pregnancy 
is at all advanced, the young may be felt to move. The most 
unequivocal mode, however, of detecting the presence of water 
is by the touch. If the right hand is laid on one side of the 
belly, and with the left hand the other side is tapped, an un- 
dulating motion will be perceived, exactly similar to what 
wonld be felt by placing one hand on a bladder of water, and 
striking it with the other. 

Treatment of Ascites, or Dropsy of the Belly.— The medi- 
cal treatment, in these cases, is seldom attended with success, 
because the complaint itself is seldom primary, but the con- 
sequence of some other destructive chronic affection, as 
asthma, diseased liver, or inverted mange, which may have 
already committed fatal ravages on the constitution. Now 
and then, however, I have seen attacks of ascites apparently 
not preceded by either of these affections ; and in these I 
have sometimes succeeded in obtaining an evacuation of the 
water, and in preventing a recurrence of it also. But such 
instances are so inferior in point of number to the others, that, 



DROPSY. 55 

in general terms, ventral dropsy may be described as a most 
fatal disease. 

I have repeatedly tapped dogs ; from some of whom I have 
drawn off many quarts of fluid, sometimes of a gelatinous 
consistence, at others simply serous and thin, lu some in- 
stances I have repeated the operation two or three times, 
which has tended to prolong life ; but eventually the same 
fate awaited all. The operation of tapping a dog does not 
differ in any respect from the same process in the human. 
A trochar is the most proper instrument for the purpose, but 
it may be performed by a lancet, and the puncture may be 
made in any part of the tumour not immediately bordering on 
the navel, or on the central line of the belly, taking care to 
examine that no considerable branch of artery is directly 
under the line of puncture, which may be readily known by 
examination with the fingers. The evacuation of all the water 
may be proceeded on at once without fear ; the animal will 
express no uneasiness, nor faintness ; but will conduct himself 
as though nothing had happened. A bandage moderately 
tight should be applied around the belly, and there retained 
for many days, or even weeks, to assist the absorbents by its 
pressure. 

I have also tried various other means for the evacuation of 
the water, but it is seldom they have afforded any benefit. In 
a very few instances only diuretics have produced a salutary 
effect : of the numerous articles of which class I have found 
the digitalis, or foxglove, the very best. Now and then, 
however, other medicaments of this kind have succeeded when 
this has failed. I shall, therefore, detail such recipes as ap- 
pear best suited to the case, observing that, with regard to 
the foxglove, it is most certain in its effect as a diuretic, as 
well in the canine as the human species, when it neither occa- 
sions sickness nor purging. The dose should, therefore, be 
always so regulated as to avoid these effects : — 



56 DROPSY. 

No. 1.— Powdered foxglove 12 grains 

Antimonial powder 15 grains 

Nitre 1 dram. 

Mix, and divide into nine, twelve, or fifteen parcels, one of 
which give night and morning. 

No. 2.— Powdered foxglove 9 grains 

Powdered squills 12 grains 

Cream of tartar 2 drams. 

Mix, divide, and give, as No. 1. 

No. 3.— Oxymel of squills 1 ounce 

Infusion of tobacco (as under) half an ounce 

Sweet spirit of nitre half an ounce 

Tincture of opium half a dram 

Infusion of camomile 2 ounces. 

Mix, and give from two tea-spoonfuls, to a large table-spoonful, 
night and morning. The tobacco infusion may be made by 
pouring two ounces of boiling water on a dram of tobacco. 

I have, in some cases, combined calomel with the other re- 
medies to the amount of half a grain, or a grain, night and 
morning ; and this apparently with benefit. I have also tried 
the effect of strong mercurial purges twice a week, in cases 
where diuretic medicines failed of relieving. Friction and 
the warm bath have been also used, but without apparent 
advantage. In the few cases wherein diuretics succeeded, 
active stomachic tonics followed their use : in some instances 
they accompanied them. Nor should these be omitted where 
tapping is employed, as the only means likely to prevent the 
belly from again filling. 

Hydrothorax, or Dropsy of the Chest, is, likewise, 
not a very uufrequent complaint in dogs, and may be either 
chronic or acute ; that is, the aqueous accumulation may be 
slow or rapid. When it is the former, it is usually the conse- 
quence of some other chronic affection, as asthma or neglected 
mange: although the latter most frequently produces dropsy 



DROPSY, 57 

of the belly. The rapid accumulation often arises from active 
inflammation of the lungs; in which cases, about the third 
day from the pneumonic attack, the water begins to be formed 
within the cavity of the chest, and increases so as to suffocate 
the animal in a few hours. — See Inflamed Lungs. 

The disease may be known to exist by the extreme uneasi- 
ness the dog shews when he lies down, and by his attempts, 
under such circumstances, to elevate his head. The chest 
will also appear full and swollen, and the water may be gene- 
rally heard on motion. The beating of the heart will also 
clearly characterise the complaint ; for the hand, placed on 
one side of the chest, will be affected with a kind of thrill, 
very different from the usual sensation produced by the beat- 
ing of the heart of a healthy dog. 

The cure may be attempted by the means recommended for 
ventral dropsy ; but I have hitherto always found the disease 
resist every effort. 

Anasarca. — As before observed, this complaint very sel- 
dom occurs, unless as an accompaniment of ascites. I have, 
however, now and then seen it, and, in most of the cases, it 
was in old dogs who had laboured under some previous debi- 
lity. In such instances, when any remaining stamina affords 
a chance for recovery, the treatment recommended for dropsy 
of the belly may be resorted to. 

Encysted Dropsy. — An accumulation either of serum, 
or of a fatty or gelatinous matter, within a particular sac, is 
thus called. The dropsy of the ovaria is by much the most 
frequent of this kind, and, to a certain extent, is very common 
in bitches ; but it is in these general cases more an accumu- 
lation of fat than serosity. I have, however, seen instances of 
true ovarial dropsy, which all terminated fatally, though they 
proved very slow in their progress. 

These encysted cases of dropsy are detected by the swelling 
being less universally diffused over the belly, and by the un- 
dulation being more obscure. The swellings likewise, in these 



58 EMETICS. 

instances, may be often traced to have began on one parti- 
cular side. 

The treatment proper to pursue in no wise differs from that 
directed in ascites ; but I never witnessed more than one case 
which terminated favourably, and in that I discharged the 
fluid contents by a trochar effectually ; but in others this mode 
failed. 

Hydatids likewise, now and then, but very rarely, form 
a species of dropsy in dogs. I have seen them in the liver, 
the lungs, the spleen, and the brain. 

eeeooo 

Ears, sore. 
See Canker. 

oceeoo 

Emetics. 

Vomiting appears almost a natural act in dogs ; at least 
it is one that they voluntarily excite, by eating emetic vege- 
tables, as the long wild grass, so hurtful to pastures. Dogs, 
in common with all quadrupeds who live on animal food, are 
subject to a train of sensations that we denominate bilious. 
In the canine species these are particularly prevalent ; and 
dogs appear to be instinctively taught to relieve themselves 
from them by an emetic, which they take more frequently, 
when they can procure it, than we are aware of. It is evi- 
dent, therefore, that such as are much confined, and those 
who inhabit large cities, must suffer in their health from the 
want of this usual evacuation. To remedy this, when cir- 
cumstances wholly prevent their reaching the grass, or other 
emetic vegetables, some of the dog grass might be brought to 
them, either gathered, or the roots of it might be placed in 
pots for their use. It may be obtained by the Londoners in 
Coverit' Garden; In default of this, a mild occasional vomit 



EXERCISE. 59 

of emetic tartar, common salt, or other emetic substance, 
might be very properly substituted. 

In various diseases, the benefit resulting from the use of 
emetics is still more striking; and our directions for their 
employment will be found frequent. A good domestic vomit 
is common salt, in quantity from half a tea-spoonful to a desert- 
spoonful ; but it is sometimes violent in its operations, and, 
therefore, not to be chosen for delicate constitutions. Calomel 
often proves an emetic to dogs : see Alteratives. Turpith 
mineral, and crude antimony, are given as emetics by sports- 
men ; but the former is extremely violent, and the latter un- 
certain. Tartar emetic forms the most convenient article for 
this purpose, and is at once safe and easy to give ; from one 
grain to three or four, according to the size of the dog, may- 
be given in a pill, or in a piece of meat, or dissolved in milk 
or water. 

o ooee o 

Epilepsy. 
See Fits. 

e oseoo 

Exercise. 

The want of due exercise is the cause of nearly one half 
of the diseases of dogs ; and the ill effects of this deprivation 
are very often heightened by inordinate feeding also. It 
should be remembered, that a dog is an animal of prey, des- 
tined, in a natural state, to hunt for his food, and to sacrifice 
to his appetite lesser and weaker animals, whose exertions to 
escape must keep him in a continual habit of most active 
exercise. In this life of nature, dogs probably do not get a 
regular and full meal twice in a week. How great, therefore, 
must be the difference, when they are either shut up in a 
warm room twenty-two out of twenty-four hours; or are, 



60 EXERCISE. 

perhaps, fastened by the necks for many months together, 
without any other exercise than what the length of their chain 
allows them ! In such cases, if they have plenty of air, and 
are moderately fed, the want of exercise shews itself by 
mange or canker. If otherwise, then it shews itself by an 
enormous increase of fat, which usually ends in asthma and 
dropsy. 

Nothing affords a stronger conviction of the necessity of 
exercise to animals than their natural love of play. There 
wants no other proof that exercise was intended as their 
ordinary habit, and as a most necessary means of preserv- 
ing health. In cities and great towns it is a very excel- 
lent plan to teach puppies to play with a ball; by which 
means they will exercise themselves very well in wet weather, 
or when they cannot be taken out ; and will continue through 
life attached to the exertion. Those who will not amuse 
themselves in this way, yet may all be taught to fetch and 
carry. A very mistaken opinion prevails, that, because a dog 
is turned into a yard or court, an hour, or half an hour, 
that he exercises himself; on the contrary, in general he re- 
gards this as a punishment, and sits shivering at the door the 
whole time. 

Dogs are more disposed to take exercise in company than 
alone: emulation induces them to run and frolic with each 
other; it is prudent, therefore, to allow every favourite a 
companion. For sporting dogs, constant exercise is also essen* 
tially uecessary. When they are laid by for the season, if 
they are shut up, it is very common, when they are again 
wanted ; to find them fat, without wind, and easily fatigued ; 
for not only are they out of the habit of exertion, but the 
muscles of the body have actually become lessened, and hence 
weakened by inactivity. Exercise improves the wind, by 
taking up the surrounding fat from the heart and chest ; thus 
allowing the lungs to expand more freely. But, wherever 
circumstances absolutely preclude exercise altogether, then 



EYES, DISEASES OF. 6l 

greater circumspection should be used in the feeding: it 
should be very moderate, and, as much as may be, composed 
of vegetables. — See Feeding. 

Fits in dogs are a very common consequence of confine- 
ment ; and it is very usual for a dog, particularly a sporting 
one, who has been confined long, on gaining his liberty, to 
experience a violent fit. I have observed the same occur in 
dogs after long voyages. 

Exercise should, therefore, be allowed to every dog ; and, 
as this should be done in proportion to his other habits, to 
lay down any general rule on this head is nearly impossible. 
The exercise of fat ones should not be violent, but it should 
be long continued : when it is too violent, it is apt to produce 
fits or cough, and thus, in the end, may prove the parent of 
asthma. Sporting dogs require gallops, to fit them for their 
work, and to give them wind ; and, for this purpose, they 
should be taught to follow a horse. Lesser dogs, and all 
who are at other times confined, require at least two hours' 
exercise every day. 

eeooeo 
Eyes, Diseases of. 

The eyes of dogs are subject to several kinds of disease. 
The most common of these is an ulceration of the cornea, or 
transparent part of the globe of the eye, from distemper. 
This affection of the eyes usually commences by a blueness, 
or sometimes by a perfect opacity of the transparent portion ; 
in the centre of which a speck may be frequently seen, which 
gradually accumulates to a small abcess, and bursts, leaving 
an ulcer. This ulcer sometimes remains stationary till the 
distemper amends : in others it extends, and involves the 
whole pupil in an ulcerative process. In some cases a fun- 
gus forms, and protrudes outwards. One circumstance is 
peculiarly worthy of remark in this affection, which is, that 



62 EYES, DISEASES OF. 

the eye can become more deranged in this disease, and yet 
recover again, than in any other ; for, after an extensive ulce- 
ration has formed, and excluded nearly all vision ; when the 
distemper leaves the animal, the eye gradually clears itself, 
and leaves no Vestige of disease behind. 

The proper treatment, therefore, in such cases is, to attend 
principally to the distemper; for, as before observed, when 
that amends, the eye will do the same. However, it will be 
prudent to check the devastation from proceeding, by a seton 
in the neck, by fomentations of poppy heads, when the eye is 
very much irritated and inflamed : or by the use of Goulard 
washes in the beginning ; and by vitriolic ones as the disease 
advances. 

Ophthalmia sometimes also attacks the eyes, and appears 
both in a true and a spurious form. The spurious kind is 
the effect of distemper also, but is altogether distinct from 
the one already described. This bastard ophthalmia occurs 
very early in the complaint. The eyes look red, but not very 
opaque, and there is invariably an extreme impatience of 
light. — See Distemper. 

In the true ophthalmia, the eyes become suddenly weak, 
water much, and, if viewed in the light, look red at the bot- 
tom, and within the eyelids likewise. There is usually at 
the first not much opacity of the cornea ; but it soon comes 
on, and extends over the whole surface, seldom, however, 
proceeding to ulceration, unless distemper is present. There 
are always marks of pain, irritation, and impatience of light. 

The treatment should be begun by bleeding. Afterwards 
insert a seton in the neck, and give, every third day, a purga- 
tive. For the first few days foment the eyes with a poppy 
head fomentation; use also the following as a wash fre- 
quently : — 

Sugar of lead half a dram 

Rose water 6 ounces. 

When the inflammation is somewhat moderated, add to this 



EYES, DISEASES OP. 63 

wash ten grains of white vitriol. All exposure to strong light, 
to cold, and to over-exercise, should be avoided. In very 
bad cases I have sometimes scarified the insides of the eye- 
lids, and even the white part of the eye itself, by means of 
the point of a fine lancet, with very great benefit. 

In violent injuries of the eyes, such as blows, punctures of 
thorns, or scratches from cats ; a similar treatment should be 
pursued, till the active inflammation has abated : after which, 
should any opacity of the cornea remain, that is, should a 
blueish dimness be left over the sight, a small pinch of a 
powder may be sprinkled into the eye once or twice a day; 
composed of one scruple of sugar of lead, and one dram of 
calomel. 

Cataract is another disease to which the eyes of dogs are 
liable. In the aged, cataracts are very common, from a breaking 
up of the strength of the parts : nor are they very uncommon 
in younger dogs, being sometimes the result of some injury, 
or apparent cause : at others the complaint is observed to 
come on gradually, as a slow chronic affection of the organ : 
but there is this difference between the disease in the old 
and the young, that, in the former, both the eyes commonly 
become affected ; whereas, in the latter, it is usually confined 
to one only. In all these cases the before-described powder 
may be blown into the eye ; but it is very seldom that any 
treatment arrests the final termination in blindness. 

A dropsy of the eyeball now and then also occurs; in 
which case there is au extreme enlargement of the globe of 
the eye, and an imperfect contraction of the iris. 1 once 
punctured the sclerotic coat, and evacuated the water ; but 
great inflammation followed, and the eye gradually wasted 
away. In other cases I have blown calomel into the eye, but 
without apparent benefit, except in one instance, where the 
owner grew tired of the trouble, and destroyed the dog before 
the precise effect could be ascertained. I have also tried 
electricity, setons, and blisters, but with no better success. 

i 



#4 EYELIDS, ULCERATED. 

Eyelids, ulcerated* 

There is now and then met with a mangy affection, con- 
fined to the eyelids, which is attended with ulceration, and a 
loss of hair. It may be generally removed by au ointment 
of the following kind : — 

Ointment of nitrated quicksilver 1 dram 

Sugar of lead 20 grains 

Spermaceti ointment 3 drams. 

Anoint the parts, night and morning, lightly with this, watch- 
ing the dog afterwards that he does not rub it into his eyes. 
Internal medicines will also assist the cure. — See Mange. 

eeeoeo 

Fatness, excessive. 

This is a most common complaint among dogs. A proper 
plumpness of appearance denotes health ; but when the ani- 
mal oil, called fat, becomes inordinately disproportionate to 
the rest of the parts of the body, it proves a source of nu- 
merous diseases. The natural tendency of dogs to obesity is 
considerable ; for any dog may be made fat by excessive 
feeding and little exercise. Provided the accumulation has 
been quick, the dog may be reduced to his former state with- 
out prejudice ; but, when a dog gradually accumulates fat 
from indulgeuce, then the obesity becomes so completely a 
disease, that even exercise and abstinence will not always 
wholly reduce him ; for the generation of the adipose sub- 
stance is so habitual a work of the constitution, that, however 
little food the animal takes, short of starvation, that little 
forms fat. That this is true may be known by the notorious 
fact, that many fat dogs eat but little. 

There are two sources of fatness ; one is, over-feeding ; the 
other is, want of exercise : and when, as is very frequently 



FATNESS, EXCESSIVE. 65 

the case, both causes happen to meet in the same subject, 
then the accumulation is certain. When dogs are over-fed, 
whatever is taken into the body, more than the general secre- 
tions require, is either converted into fat, or forms some other 
unusual secretion ; as matter in the ears, in canker ; or scabs 
on the skin, in mange. 

Exercise increases all the usual secretions ; hence, under 
strong exercise, more nutriment is required : and thus, in such 
cases, full feeding does not produce fat; but, even in full 
exercise, provided some of the usual secretions are stopped, 
though the others may be in full force ; yet an over-accumu- 
lation of animal oil is apt to take place : thus spayed bitches 
and castrated dogs usually become fat, however they may 
work. 

Fat more readily accumulates in middle aged and old dogs, 
than in the young ; and the fat of old dogs is more hurtful 
to them than that of the young ; the reason of which appears 
to be, that all aged animals have their fat placed more in- 
wardly, while the younger ones have it placed more upon the 
surface of the body. A state of excessive fatness is an almost 
certain forerunner of asthma. It is also the parent of mange, 
canker, and other eruptive diseases ; and not unfiequently it 
occasions fits, from the pressure it produces on the vessels of 
the head and chest. I have also seen the excessive accumu- 
lation of it produce disease of the heart and large vessels, 
terminating in the rupture of one or the other of them. 



Feeding of Dogs. 

This is an important subject, as upon the judicious feeding 
of these animals much of their health and comfort depends ; 
and, by injudicious feeding, very many of their complaints 
are brought on. It is curious that the'want of food, and the 
excess of it, should both produce the same disease. It is 

12 



66 FEEDING OF DOGS. 

very seldom that a dog is badly fed for a considerable length 
of time, but that he contracts mange ; and it is also as seldom 
that a dog is long permitted to eat to excess, but that he also 
becomes mangy. However, if the same cleanliness and care 
were to be observed in both cases, the lean dog would have 
the least mange, and his would also prove much more easy 
of cure. 

To feed judiciously, the physiology of digestion should be 
understood. All the juices of the body, and indeed all the 
solids likewise, are furnished from the blood. These juices 
are in a continual state of waste, and the solids are in a con- 
tinual state of wear; both of which take place in proportion 
to the exertion used. There must, therefore, exist some means 
of recruiting this waste of the fluids, aud some means of re- 
pairing this wear of the solids. Nature has intended that 
these ends should be brought about by food, consisting of 
solid and fluid substances taken into the mouth, which are 
there masticated and broken down into small masses by the 
teeth, and mixed into a paste with the saliva, by which it is 
rendered fit to be acted upon, after it has passed from the 
mouth into the stomach by the act of swallowing. 

Being received into the stomach, it there meets with a 
strong solvent agent, called gastric juice; by mixing with 
which it becomes animalized, and, in fact, wholly altered. 
In a complete pultaceous mass, called chyme, it is passed into 
the bowels, where there are little vessels that strain and suck 
up such fluid parts as are fitted for nourishing the body, and 
pass it forwards in very minute streams into glands, call- 
ed mesenteric. These glands empty their contents, then 
called chyle, into one common receptacle, from whence the 
chylous fluid is poured into the heart to form blood. The 
blood, therefore, is constantly recruiting from this source; 
and from this description it will naturally suggest itself, that, 
when food is withheld, the blood must waste; and when this 
is the case, all the fluids of the body must naturally decrease, 



FEEDING OF DOGS. 67 

and the solids wear fast. On the contrary, when food is taken 
in too great quantities, the blood will, in that case, become 
too rich, and be generated in too large quantities ; and, as 
the solids are limited in their growth, so some, or all the fluids 
of the body, will be formed from it in too large proportions* 
The moisture that goes to the skin will probably become acrid, 
and form a disease called mange : the sebaceous glands of 
the ear, instead of forming wax, will pour out blood or mat- 
ter, called canker ; or the superabundance will flow to the 
teats, where, if it is not the time of pregnancy, it will form 
a spurious secretion and induration. When these evils do 
not immediately succeed, the overflowing blood forms only 
an inordinate quantity of the oily fluid called fat. 

It next becomes a question, What kind of food is the best 
for dogs? On observing this animal, either as a naturalist or 
physiologist, one is not at a moment's loss in determining, 
that he is neither wholly carnivorous, nor wholly herbivorous, 
but of a mixed kind ; intended to take in both foods, and 
formed to receive nourishment from either. He is furnished 
with sharp cutting teeth for tearing flesh, and he has also 
broad surfaces on other of his teeth, capable of grinding 
farinaceous substances. His stomach and intestines also hold 
a middle place between those of the carnivorous and herbi- 
vorous tribes. At the same time, the anatomical conformation 
of his teeth, and indeed of the whole of his digestive organs, 
appears rather more intended for flesh than herbage; his 
habits and partialities likewise tend that way. He is evi- 
dently a beast of prey, intended to live on other animals : the 
stronger he hunts in troops, the weaker he conquers singly. 
Yet still it is clear that his organs fit him for receiving nutri- 
ment from vegetable matter also. 

It is not, therefore, difficult to determine that a mixture 
of both is the most proper general food for dogs; but the 
proportions of each are best determined by the exertions of 
the body. For, as animal food gives most nutriment, so, when 



6S FEEDING OF DOGS. 

the bodily exertions are great, as in sporting dogs, then flesh 
is the best food. On the contrary, when bulk without much 
nutriment is required, as in dogs who are confined, then vege- 
table matter is best. This subject appears to be one of very 
general interest; for no questions have been more frequently 
asked the author of these pages, than— What kind of food is 
the best for dogs, and what quantity of it ? It is very difficult 
to prescribe any precise quantity, some dogs requiring even 
naturally more than others ; and, from what has been before 
said, it will be evident that, in some cases, it is difficult to 
direct any particular quality and kind also. If, however, the 
above reasoning is correct, then there will be no difficulty in 
deciding, that a mixture of animal and vegetable matter is 
the most proper food for the generality of dogs. 

When the author had a Canine Infirmary > it had seldom 
less than twenty, sometimes thirty, patients in it. For this 
Humber it was of some moment to devise a mode of feeding 
that should embrace nearly all the requisites. After trying 
every method of cooking, and every article used as food, he 
at last adopted the following plan, which an extensive experi- 
ence enables him to recommend as the most convenient, 
uniting to nutritious qualities, a wholesome cleanly food, that 
will not give a disposition to foulness. This feeding, it is to 
be observed, is peculiarly adapted for kennels, near cities or 
large towns : it is likewise always eligible where the mate- 
rials can be procured. It consists of the tripe or paunches 
of sheep, which, being thoroughly cleaned, are to be boiled 
half an hour, or forty minutes, in a moderate quantity of 
water. When taken from the water, they should be hung up 
to cool, and the boiling liquor they came out of poured 
on bread raspings, if possible those of French bread. The 
quantity of raspings should be so regulated, that, when soaked 
and cold, the mess may be of the consistence of an ordinary 
pudding before boiling. The paunches, being also cold, but 
not before, should be cut into fine pieces, and mixed with 



FEEDING OF DOGS. 69 

the soaked raspings. When raspings canuot be got, meal or 
biscuit may be substituted. The mixture, it is evident, may 
be made to contain more or less animal matter, by increasing 
or lessening the proportion of paunch, or by adding other 
animal matter; though the author is disposed to think that 
tripe is, of all animal substances, the purest food, and tends 
least of all to make a dog foul and gross. When likewise it 
is intended, or wished, to make the mixture either more nu- 
tritious or more enticing, the offal or intestines of chickens 
and other fowl may be procured from the poulterers, and 
boiled with the tripe. Of all substances in general use, ex- 
cept horse flesh, the entrails of chickens is the one most 
eagerly sought after by dogs, and fattens them fastest. For 
the convenience of persons resident in London, it should be 
noticed, that the venders of boiled sheep heads, sell the trim- 
mings as dogs food ; and it is an excellent one. 

Sportsmen in the Country use various mixtures for food, 
and it b very often, in retired situations, a difficult matter to 
find proper substances for this purpose. In some kennels 
meal and milk are used, and dogs will thrive on them during 
the season they do not hunt ; but, when they are strongly 
exercised, this food will not be sufficiently nutritious. All 
the meals are used for this purpose ; but it is no difficult mat- 
ter at once to decide, that wheat meal, when it can be pro- 
cured, is to be preferred ; for it is much less likely to pro- 
duce mauge and a heated skin than the other. 

Barleymeal and oatmeal are most frequently given, and are 
sufficiently nutritious when mixed with either milk or broth ; 
but they have certainly some tendency to produce a red 
itching skin when constantly used ; for which reason a por- 
tion of potatoes should be mixed with them. Potatoes, even 
without meal, will be found to form a good food for dogs who 
are not wanted for hunting or other active exertion : they arc 
cooling, and, when mixed with milk or buttermilk, are suffi- 



70 FEEDING OF DOGS. 

ciently nutritious, and form, in this way, an economical and 
wholesome food. 

When circumstances render it absolutely necessary to feed 
principally on either barley or oatmeal, the heating effects may 
be also greatly obviated by mixing it with buttermilk. In all 
cases likewise of foulness, as mange, canker, &c, buttermilk 
will be found an excellent cleanser. When also it is necessary 
or convenient to feed on potatoes, if they are not relished by 
dogs, a small proportion of greaves or other fatty matter may 
be added, which will commonly render them sufficiently at- 
tractive. 

In the feeding of favourites much error is frequently com- 
mitted ; for, their tastes being consulted, they are too apt to 
be wholly fed on flesh, and this in great quantities too. In 
such cases, although the evil is acknowledged, yet it is alleged 
that the animals will not eat any other food. But it will be 
always in the power of those who feed them, to bring their 
dogs to live even on vegetables entirely : but it must be, in 
some cases, by great determination and perseverance. If the 
usual quantity of meat a dog eats, is minced extremely fine, 
and a small portion of mashed potatoes is mixed with it, it is 
not possible for the dog to separate the animal from the vege- 
table portion ; and, if he will not eat the mixture, let it re- 
main till hunger obliges him to do it. The next meal, a very 
small additional quantity of potatoes may be added, and 
which practice, if persisted in, will bring the animal at last 
to live almost wholly on potatoes, or any other vegetable that 
may be selected. In a medical point of view, a vegetable 
diet is often very importaut. In many cases a complete 
change of food forms the very best alterative ; and, in others, 
it is a most excellent auxiliary to the medical treatment. The 
cases that require a change from a meat to a vegetable diet 
are, in fact, frequent : all eruptive diseases, or other affections 
arising from too full living; likewise coughs, and various 



FEEDING OF DOGS. 71 

inflammatory complaints, render this change essentially ne- 
cessary to the health of the dog. 

Carrots, parsnips, cabbages, and, indeed, all vegetable 
matter, will feed dogs sufficiently well for the purposes of 
existence. Damaged ship biscuit is often bought for the pur- 
pose of food, and it makes a very good one when soaked iu 
broth or milk. It is, however, prudent here to introduce one 
very necessary caution, which is, — that the broth or liquor in 
which salted meat has been boiled should never be used for 
this purpose. Most dogs, who have been confined on ship 
board during a long voyage, contract a very bad kind of 
mange, wholly owing to their being fed on salt pot-liquor. 
This is not sufficiently attended to among sportsmen, and their 
servants are very apt to give the liquor in which salt pork 
and bacon have been boiled, with other brine, to the great 
injury of the animals. 

Greaves are also, with many persons, a favourite, because 
a convenient food ; and, when mixed with a sufficient quantity 
of vegetable matter, they form a hearty meal for large dogs, 
or such as live without doors, and are subjected to much ex- 
ercise. I should, however, never use them myself, when any 
of the before-mentioned articles could be procured. 

Many opinions prevail on the subject of horse flesh as food, 
its qualities being as strenuously supported by some, as they 
are condemned by others. The proper mode of considering 
the matter is to regard it as a strong and actively nutritious 
food, very fit for dogs who undergo great exercise ; to whom 
it never proves hurtful : but, where it is given to those who 
have little exercise, it proves too nutritious, and is apt to 
produce a foul stinking coat and itching skin. Much diver- 
sity of opinion prevails also as to whether it is better to be 
given raw or dressed. In a state of nature, it is evident that 
dogs live on raw meat, and there is no doubt that this best 
fits them for very active exercise, and enables them to per- 
form all their functions with the most vigour and durability. 



72 FEEDING OF BOGS. 

When flesh, therefore, can be procured sweet and fresh, in 
that state it will go farthest, and nourish most ; but, when at 
all putrid, dressing considerably restores it. 

At what periods dogs ought to be fed is frequently also a 
matter of debate. This is also easily and satisfactorily con- 
cluded upon, when considered in a similar point of view with 
the foregoing subjects. In a state of nature, a daily meal 
even must be very precarious ; for, in some situations, vege- 
table food cannot be obtained, and then the hunting down of 
other animals, or the meeting with the offal or refuse of what 
may have been hunted by others, must be the principal sup- 
port. For this reason, Nature has kindly and wisely fitted a 
dog with a stomach that digests his food, particularly of the 
animal kind, very slowly ; so that a full meal of flesh is not 
digested in less than twenty-four hours. Those, therefore, 
who feed their dogs on animal matter never need feed them 
more than once a day; nor do they even require it oftener 
with meal, if full fed. But it must be remembered that, 
under a life of confinement and art, where all the functions 
are weakened, as they must of necessity be in those dogs who 
are petted and indulged, it is better to feed in smaller quan- 
tities twice a day. If fed once only, such dogs become heavy 
and sleepy, and lose much of their vivacity. This may here 
call forth a remark, that hard-worked dogs, as soon as fed, 
should be shut up to encourage sleep. Digestion goes on 
better sleeping than waking ; and more nutriment is obtained 
in this way, than when an animal is suffered to run about 
after eating. 

It may be also not improper to notice the unnecessary fear 
that many persons are under relative to the giving of bones 
to dogs. Except by fish bones, or the pinion and leg bones of 
poultry, I never remember having seen a dog injured by a 
bone ; but I have great reason to think that the stomachs of 
these animals would be often benefited by the action of the 
bones : and also, that though the teeth are thought to be broken 



FEET, SORE.. ..FEVER... .FITS. 73 

by them, yet that the evil is more than counterbalanced by the 
bones cleaning away the tartar that otherwise accumulates. 



Feet, sore. 

When dogs get their feet sore from travelling, it is com- 
mon to wash them with brine ; but which is an erroneous 
practice. It is better to bathe them with greasy pot-liquor, 
milk, or buttermilk, and afterwards to defend them from 
stones and dirt, by wrapping them up. When the feet be- 
come sore from any diseased affection of the claws, the. pro- 
per treatment may be seen under that head. 

cccoco 

Fever. 

Simple fever seldom, if ever, exists in dogs. Inflamma- 
tions of the principal organs of the body, as of the lungs, 
intestines, kidnies, bladder, &c, are very common : but pure 
fever does not occur, except of the specific kind, as the fever 
of distemper, and the fever of rabies, &c. &c. 

oeoceo 
Fits. 

The fits that usually appear in dogs, though not very dif- 
ferent in appearauce from each other, arise from very different 
causes, and, therefore, require very different treatment. The 
epileptic fits that attack dogs of all ages, and otherwise ap- 
parently healthy, may be idiopathic, or they may probably 
arise from costiveness or worms, &c. In countries where 
there are lead mines, dogs have often violent fits from the 
effects of the lead on the water. The oxen, sheep, goats, and 
horses, of such situations, also participate. Mercury appears 



74 FITS. 

to form the best antidote for these contractions, either rub- 
bed externally or given internally. 

In the treatment of fits, it is evident that the cause pro- 
ducing them must be attended to, to effect a cure. The im- 
mediate fit itself may be removed at once usually, by plunging 
the dog into cold water ; or sprinkling it in his face even, is 
sufficient in many cases. Whenever a fit has happened to a 
healthy dog, he should immediately have a brisk purge given 
him, for fits are very frequently brought on by simple cos- 
tiveness : and even if such was not the case previous to the 
fit, this treatment would be the most proper. Should it be 
at all suspected that the affection arose from worms, treat as 
directed under that head. Some dogs are so irritable, that 
whatever raises any strong passion in their minds produces 
an epileptic attack : hence dogs much confined, on being suf- 
fered to run out, frequently have a fit. It is this irritability 
in the mind, likewise, that produces fits in pointers and set- 
ters when hunting ; for they arc more frequent in the high- 
bred and eager, than in the cool coarse dog. As a gene- 
ral rule, more frequent exercise should be allowed ; and, in 
this latter instance of sporting dogs, the general constitution 
should as much as possible be strengthened ; for fits are here 
the effect of too much energy of the mind, beyond the powers 
of the body : and in all cases they are, probably, the effect of a 
peculiar debility. The irritability of the mind itself should 
also be attempted to be lessened: in sporting dogs, it is best done 
by habituating them to the sight of much game, which greatly 
lessens their eagerness. For a very valuable dog, belonging 
to a gentleman in Kent, affected with fits whenever he hunted, 
I recommended a removal into a country more plentifully 
supplied with game than his neighbourhood afforded ; the 
consequence of which was, that though, for a few days after 
his removal, he had more frequent fits than ever, yet they 
gradually lessened, and at length wholly left him. Some dogs, 
however, who exercise much, have fits merely from the reple- 



FITS. 75 

tion of the vessels of the head : in this case bleeding, an occa- 
sional purgative, with a seton worn some time in the neck, 
proves useful: and, whenever fits have become habitual, a 
seton should be applied, and kept in some months. Fear in 
irritable dogs produces fits, of which I have seen innumerable 
instances. 

A very distressing and dangerous kind of epileptic fits 
sometimes attacks bitches while suckling. In these cases it 
arises from the owners being too anxious to rear several puppies, 
by which they burthen the mother beyond her powers : the 
consequence is an attack of convulsions, which too frequently 
destroys the animal. — See Pupping. — Teething in puppies 
will sometimes produce fits ; but some sportsmen, aware of 
this, fall iuto another extreme, and consider all the fits of 
young dogs to originate from this cause ; when by far the 
greater number of these attacks are the effect of worms, or 
the precursors of distemper. 

The fits that are the consequence of distemper, may be 
usually discovered by the other attendant symptoms: some- 
times, however, a fit is the very first symptom, in which case 
it is remarkable, that the fit augurs nothing unfavourable : 
but when a fit comes on some time after distemper has made 
its appearance, the animal seldom recovers. The convulsions 
accompanying distemper are more frequent in whiter than in 
summer, which shews that warmth is one of the best preven- 
tives against these attacks. The convulsion most usually pre- 
sent in distemper begins in the head, and first attacks the 
muscles of the face and jaws, producing a quick champing 
of the mouth, with a shaking of the head, a distortion of the 
countenance, and a flow of frothy saliva from the jaws : each 
succeeding fit is usually stronger and more violent. Another 
form in which these fits make their appearance in this disease, 
is, by a running round, with other violent contortions of the 
whole body. In other instances, there is universal and con- 
tinued spasm of the whole of the external muscles, very much 



76 FLEAS IN DOGS. 

resembling St. Vitus's dance. All these varieties are sometimes 
blended, or degenerate into each other. 

The idiopathic epilepsy, or those fits which appear habitual, 
and not dependent on any temporary cause, as costiveness, 
distemper, &c, are, in general, very difficult of cure. In 
dogs of very full habit, bleeding, emetics, and an occasional 
purge, should all be premised. In others, the following medi- 
cines may be at once proceeded ou : — 

Calomel 12 grains 

Powdered foxglove 12 grains 

Powdered misletoe 2 drams. 

Mix, and divide into nine, twelve, or fifteen parcels, according 
to the size of the dog, and give one every morning. After 
these have been fully tried, in case the attacks do not relax, 
try the following :— 

Lunar caustic, finely powdered 2 grains 

Spiders' web, called cobweb 5 grains 

Conserve of roses 

sufficient to make nine, twelve, or fifteen bales, according to 
the size of the dog ; of which give one every morning. 

Fleas in Dogs. 

Among the numerous inconveniences to which these valu- 
able animals are liable, I hardly know one more troublesome 
to themselves, or vexatious to their owners, than this common 
one of fleas. It is, therefore, a very frequent inquiry made, 
How they can be destroyed, or how they can be prevented 
from accumulating ? Washing the body well with soap-suds, 
and directly afterwards carefully combing with a small-toothed 
comb, are the most ready means of dislodging these nimble 
gentry. But it must be remembered, that the previous wash- 
ing is only to enable the comb more readily to overtake them : 
the water does not destroy them ; for dogs, who swim every 



FRACTURES. 7f 

day, still have fleas. These animals are hardy, and soon re- 
cover this temporary downing ; the comb, therefore, is prin- 
cipally to be depended on for their caption before they re-» 
cover. Bat as washing is not, in many instances, a salutary 
practice, and in many others is a very inconvenient one, so it 
becomes a matter of considerable moment to prevent their 
accumulation without these means. 

Sopping the skin with tobacco water has been recommend- 
ed ; but it has only a momentary effect, and frequently poi- 
sons the dog. — See Mange. — Innumerable other means I 
have tried to drive away fleas, but the only tolerably certain 
one I have discovered, is to make dogs sleep on fresh deal 
shavings. These shavings may be made so fine as to be as 
soft as a down bed ; and, if changed every week or fortnight, 
are the most cleanly and wholesome one that a dog can sleep 
on. But, where this is absolutely impracticable, then rub or 
dredge the dog's hide, once or twice a week, with vtry finely 
powdered rosin; if simply rubbed, add some bran. Fleas 
are not only troublesome, but, by the irritation they occasion, 
they produce a tendency to mange. 

oceooo 

Fractures. 

The limbs of dogs are very liable to become fractured; 
but the irritability of the constitution is so much less in these 
animals than in ourselves, that they suffer comparatively but 
little on these occasions ; and the parts soon reinstate them- 
selves, even without assistance, though in such cases the limb 
in general remains crooked. The thigh is a very common 
subject of fracture ; aud though it appears a most serious bone 
to break, yet it is one that, with a little assistance, commonly 
unites straight, and forms a good limb. When a fracture has 
happened to the thigh, in case the violence has injured the 






78 FRACTURES. 

fleshy parts also, so as to produce tension, heat, and inflam- 
mation, foment with vinegar and water till the swelling is re- 
duced. When this is effected, apply a plaster of pitch or 
other adhesive matter, spread on moderately firm leather, 
sufficiently large to cover the outside of the thigh, and to 
double a little over the iuside of it also. Then attach a long 
splent upon this, which should reach from the toes, to an inch 
or two above the back, and will steady the limb very much. 
This splent must be kept in its situation by a long bandage 
carefully wound round the limb, beginning at the toes, and 
continuing it up the thigh ; when it must be crossed over the 
back, continued down around the other thigh, and then fast- 
ened. This would, however, slip over the tail, without other 
assistance; for which reason it must be kept in its place by 
means of another slip passed round the neck and along the 
back. 

Fractures of the shoulder should be treated in a similar 
manner. 

In fractures of the fore and hind legs, very great care is 
necessary to ensure a straight union. As soon as the inflam- 
mation and swelling will admit of it (sometimes there is little 
or none from the first), apply an adhesive plaster neatly and 
firmly around the part; then fill up the inequalities by tow 
or lint, so that the limb shall appear of one size throughout, 
otherwise the points of the joints will be irritated and made 
sore by the pressure of the splents. After this has been done, 
apply two, three, or four, splents of thin pliable wood before, 
behind, and on each side of the limb, and secure them in their 
places by a flannel bandage. In all fractures, great caution 
must be observed not to tighten the part, by either the plaster 
or bandage, so as to bring on swelling ; for, when this has 
been done, mortification has followed. In fractures of the 
fore legs, a supporting bandage, with side splents, should be 
kept on a longer time than is necessary for fractures of the 



FRACTURES. 79 

liinder ones. If this precaution is not observed, the leg is 
apt to become gradually crooked, after the apparatus is re- 
moved. 

In cases of compound fracture, that is, where there is an 
open wound, which penetrates to the divided bones ; the same 
means must be pursued as are practised in the human subject. 
Irritating pointed portions must be sawed off; the loose ones 
should be removed ; and every means must be used to close 
the wound as early as possible : during which process, the 
bones should be kept in contact with each other, and sup- 
ported by soft bandages ; until the cicatrization of the wound 
will allow of proper splents and tighter bandaging. 

It likewise not unfrequently happens, that a compound frac- 
ture, or even a simple one, when neglected, becomes united by 
a soft uuion ; that is, instead of the callus interposed be- 
tween the divided ends being bony, it proves cartilaginous 
only. In such a case the fractured limb never becomes firm ; 
but, on the contrary, when examined, an obscure motion may 
be felt, like an imperfect joint, which utterly precludes any 
strength in the limb. I have frequently been consulted on 
these cases, all of which have originated in the neglect of a 
proper treatment at first. 

As a remedy for the evil, one of two practices must be 
pursued. We should either open the skin opposite the frac- 
ture, and, laying bare the bone, should remove the soft por- 
tion interposed, with a fine saw, treating the case afterwards 
as a compound fracture. Or we should insert a seton exactly 
through the soft cartilaginous portion, and keep it in ten 
days or a fortnight. After this time it may be removed, the 
wound closed, and the part treated as a simple fracture. 
Either of these plans will usually prove successful, and firmly 
consolidate the limb : but, when there is no lapping over of 
the ends of the bones, the latter is the most mild and conve- 
nient, and equally certain of success, 
eooeoe 

K 



80 GLANDULAR SWELLINGS. ...GRAVEL. 



Glandular Swellings. 

Dogs are very liable to glandular swellings of the various 
parts of the body. The glands most subject to become af- 
fected, are those of the neck and belly. The former com- 
plaint is treated of under the head Bronchocele. The 
glands of the belly are very frequently tumefied in bitches. — 
See Schirrus. — Puppies, now and then, have their mesen- 
teric glands enlarged and diseased ; in which cases they pine 
and waste away, till complete emaciation carries them off. — 
See Puppies. — The pancreas and spleen also are liable, now 
and then, to become diseased. 

There is sometimes an enlargement of the whole of the 
substance of the neck that is apt to be confounded with gland- 
ular swelling, but which it is wholly different from ; depending 
entirely on a spasmodic and rheumatic affection. — See Rheu- 
matism. 

eceeeo 

Gravel. 

Dogs have stone it is certain; that they therefore have 
gravel also, it is natural to suppose, though it is not always 
easy to detect it. 1 have, however, seen the complaint suffi- 
ciently well marked. From ten to twenty drops of oil of 
turpentine, or twice the quantity of spirits of nitre, twice a 
day, with a few drops of laudanum added to either in case 
of much pain, will form the best means of relief. Sec the 
article Stone. 

oeeceo 

Haemorrhage, or JBlood-jloxving. 
See Astringents. 

ocooco 



HUSK... .HYDROPHOBIA.. ..INFLAMMATION. 81 

Head, swelled. 
See Mange, acute. 

eoeeoo 

Husk. 

This is the popular term in some countries for distemper; 
it is also in some others the common name for any cough a 
dog may have. In Ireland it very commonly implies dis- 
temper. 

eceeee 

Hydrophobia. 

As dogs never refuse water when mad, as it is called, or 
ever shew the least aversion to it ; but, on the contrary, are 
even eager to lap it, from the feverish thirst they feel ; so it 
is evident that this terra is a complete misnomer with regard 
to the rabid malady. The reader is, therefore, referred to the 
articles Rabies and Madness. 

©eeceo 

Inflammation. 

General inflammation, as simple fever, we have shewn, 
does not often appear in dogs ; but topical inflammation of 
the various organs of the body is very frequent. 

ooecoo 

Inflamed Bladder. 

This is not a very common complaint among dogs, never- 
theless it now and then appears : in the year 1810 there was 
an epidemic prevalent, in which the bladder was in every in- 
stance very much inflamed ; and in many of the cases which 

K 2 



82 INFLAMED BLADDER AND BOWELS. 

occurred it was exclusively so. CystitiSy or inflammation of 
the bladder, shews itself by great restlessness and panting : in 
some instances the urine is .evacuated by frequent drops, tinged 
with blood ; in others there is a total stoppage of it, when 
the belly appears hot, swelled, and very tender between the 
hind legs. 

The animal affected should be liberally bled, and have open- 
ing medicines ; clysters and the warm bath are also to be re- 
sorted to, and frequently repeated. Diuretics are improper, 
but antimonials, as James's Powder, or small repeated doses 
of tartar emetic, are by no means to be neglected. Where 
the warm bath is not convenient, warm fomentations may be 
properly substituted. 

cecoe© 

Inflamed Bowels. 

The intestines of dogs are very irritable, and extremely 
subject to inflammation ; and the inflammations are of various 
kinds, according to the cause that produces the affection. 
Distemper occasions a species of inflammation, that shews it- 
self by a continued diarrhoea. Dogs are very liable to rheu- 
matism ; but it is no less true than curious, that a dog never 
has rheumatism that is not accompanied with more or less 
inflammation of his bowels : this connection is, however, pe- 
culiar to the dog alone. In many cases the bowels are the 
only seat of rheumatism ; and it then produces a peculiar in- 
flammation, easily distinguished by those conversant with the 
diseases of dogs. — See Rheumatism. — Poisons produce a 
most fatal inflammation in the bowels of dogs ; the effects of 
which are treated on under the head Poisons. 

Among the various inflammatory affections, four kinds are 
peculiarly common to the intestines of dogs. 

The Jirst is that which is brought on by rheumatism, as we 
have already explained. 



INFLAMED BOWELS. 83 

Inflamed bowels, from costiveness, forms the second kind, 
and is a very common occurrence. Dogs will bear costiveness 
for many days before inflammation comes on ; but, when it 
has commenced, it is with difficulty removed. This kind is 
kuown by the gradual manner in which it attacks, and by its 
not being at first accompanied with any very active symp- 
toms. The dog appears dull, dislikes to move, and hides 
himself; his belly is hot, and sore also. The costiveness is 
sometimes so complete, that nothing at all comes from him ; 
at others a few drops of foeces are strained out at every effort, 
which is apt to make the observer suppose that the dog is not 
bound, but, on the contrary, purged ; he is, therefore, led to 
neglect the principal means of relief. 

In the inflammation arising from costiveness, the sickness of 
stomach is not at first so distressing ; nor is the dog so ex- 
tremely anxious for water, as he is when it arises from a cold 
taken, or when it comes on spontaneously. The obstruction 
that exists, is commonly situated far back in the larger bowels, 
so that, by introducing the finger into the fundament, a quan- 
tity of hardened excrement may frequently be felt. This 
occurs so often, that, whenever the bowels are even suspected 
to be bound, the dog should be examined, by passing the fore 
finger up the anus. 

Obstructions may, however, exist in any portion of the in- 
testinal track. I have in my possession an obstructed jeju- 
num ; in the centre of which intestine is a cork, that had been 
brutally forced down the throat. Needles and pins form fatal 
obstructions sometimes, by getting across the bowels. I have 
also known a splinter of a chicken bone imbed itself in the sub- 
stance of one of the intestines, and form an insurmountable 
obstruction. Intussusception also now and then occurs, in 
which one bowel gets folded within another from spasm, and 
thus forms a complete stoppage to the passage of the fceces. 

Whenever we can ascertain, by the anus, that the obstruc- 
tion consists of a simple accumulation of hardened excrement 



84 INFLAMED BOWELS. 

within the rectum, it is evident that purging medicines by the 
mouth can do little good, but may do a great deal of harm, by 
forcing the contents more into a mass. The hardened matter 
should be carefully broken and separated by the finger, or 
by a forceps, or handle of a spoon ; and it may then be brought 
away piecemeal. If this cannot be effected, or the obstruc- 
tion is otherwise situated, clysters should be constantly kept 
up the intestines ; that is, as soon as one comes away another 
ought to be thrown up. The dog should also be put into a 
warm bath frequently, which proves often the most effectual 
means of removing costiveness. Medicines by the mouth are 
not to be neglected, particularly where the obstruction does 
not exist within the reach of the finger ; on the contrary, a 
large dose of castor oil may be first tried, which, if it fails, 
should give place to stronger means. From three to six or 
eight grains of calomel may be mixed with from half, to one 
or two drams of aloes, according to the size and strength of 
the dog. If the stomach rejects the first dose, add half- 
quarter of a grain of opium to the second : or, try a dose of 
Epsom salts, which I often prefer. Repeat the purge every 
four hours, but with decreased strength. 

In the third inflammation, or that which comes on sponta- 
neously, or is the effect of cold ; there is great heat, thirst, 
panting, and restlessness, even from the first attack. The 
stomach is incessantly sick, and throws up ; and all food is 
refused. The belly is extremely hot, and painful to the touch ; 
the eyes are red, and the mouth and nose first hot and then 
cold. The animal frequently lays on his stomach, and ex- 
presses great anxiety in his countenance. 

In this complaint the dog should be early and freely bled. 
From three to six ounces may be taken away, according to 
the size and strength of the patient. A laxative of castor oil 
should be administered ; but unless the bowels are obstinately 
bound, and have been so for several days, nothing stronger 
should be given by the mouth, as it would only heighten the 



INFLAMED BOWELS. 85 

inflammatory symptoms. The animal should be bathed in 
warm water every three or four hours. If that is found tco 
troublesome, from his size or other circumstances, the belly 
may be rubbed with hot water, or fomented with hot flannels, 
but one or the other must by no means be omitted. Clysters 
of castor oil, with mutton broth, should be frequently thrown 
up, till evacuation is procured ; and, when the case is des- 
perate, the belly may also be rubbed with oil of turpentine 
between the bathings ; or a mustard poultice may be applied. 
No food should be given, and cold water should be removed ; 
but the dog may be drenched with mutton broth. In case the 
vomiting continues obstinate, with every dose of castor oil, 
and with every drench of mutton broth, give from ten to 
twenty drops of laudanum. In these cases, when the animal 
becomes paralytic in his lower extremities, when the sickness 
proves incessant, and the mouth and ears become cold and 
pale, mortification is near at hand. This kind of inflammation 
is not always accompanied with obstinate costiveness ; in 
some there is very little ; and in a few cases the bowels are 
even lax. But, in the greater number of instances, costiveness 
to a certain degree is present ; for, even when it does not 
exist previous to the attack, it is pretty sure to be brought on 
by it. A moderate laxative is, therefore, always proper. I 
have, in the absence of castor oil, used mild doses of Epsom 
salts with advantage ; and, in some instances, these have re- 
mained on the stomach, when castor oil has been rejected. 

Bilious inflammation of the bowels forms the fourth kind 
of these intestinal affections before noticed. I have already 
remarked, that dogs, in common with all animals who live 
indiscriminately on animal and vegetable matters, are subject 
to a disordered state of the liver, and to a vitiated secretion 
of its biliary fluid. 

This bilious inflammation of the bowels, I suspect, origi- 
nates primarily from some affection of the liver, which alters 
its secreting qualities, and makes it, instead of engendering a 



86 INFLAMEE* BOWELS. 

healthy bile, secrete one of a black noxious kind ; which, as 
soon as it passes into the bowels, irritates and inflames them 
most highly. This species of intestinal inflammation may be 
distinguished from the other kinds, by the early vomiting of 
a black or yellow foetid matter, and likewise by the bilious 
gripings and purgings. Poisonous substances will, however, 
sometimes produce similar appearances in the stools; great 
caution is therefore requisite in deciding between the two, 
as the treatment for the one, and that for the other (see Poi- 
sons), should be very different. In the inflammations arising 
from miueral poisons, the stools are bloody as well as black, 
and there is seldom much bile comes from the stomach. The 
sickness is also even more frequent and distressing than in 
the bilious affection ; but particularly it may be distinguished 
by the thirst, which is insatiable under the action of poison. 

Bilious inflammation is not a very untractable complaint, 
when judiciously managed. When the purgings are already 
considerable, nothing stronger than castor oil should be given ; 
but this should never be neglected, unless the evacuations are 
extremely frequent and profuse. When the evacuations by the 
bowels are very trifling, a mild mercurial purge even should 
not be neglected, which I have sometimes found of the greatest 
service ; as, 

Calomel 10 grains 

Aloes 3 drams. 

Make into four, six, or eight balls, according to the size of the 
dog, and give one every four or five hours till relief is 
obtained. It will be prudent to give clysters of mutton 
broth, some of which may also be forced down the throat, 
unless the sickness is very obstinate. The warm bath, or 
fomentations, should be likewise made use of, in case the belly 
feels hot and tense. 

It will, however, frequently happen that the evacuations 
from the bowels are, from the irritating quality of the bile, 



INFLAMED LIVER. 8/ 

profuse before the disease is at all attended to : and in addition 
to the quantity evacuated, the stools, in some of these cases, 
begin to be tinged with blood. Here no laxatives should be 
used, but, on the contrary, the following should be given : — 

Powdered Colombo 1 dram 

Powdered chalk «... 1 dram 

Powdered gum arable 1 dram 

Powdered opium 1 grain. 

Mix, and divide into three, five, or seven balls, according to 
the size of the dog, and give one every three or four hours. 
In addition to this, a starch clyster may also be given, if the 
case is desperate. The distressing sickness that sometimes 
accompanies these aggravated cases, and the bloody evacua- 
tions, render it very difficult to distinguish them from those 
that occur from the administration of mineral poisous ; for, in 
these cases, the bile proves a real poison to the bowels. The 
sickness is, however, best relieved in all of them by the drug 
Colombo, given in moderate but frequent doses. 

coooco 

Inflamed Liver. 

This organ in dogs is the subject of two inflammations, 
one rapid and acute, the other slow and chronic. 

Acute inflammation of the liver is not a very frequent dis- 
ease, but I have several times met with it. It may be brought 
on by cold, and shews itself by .dulness, restlessness, pant- 
ing, and inclination to drink. There is also, in some cases, 
frequent sickness ; but it is never of that distressing kind 
which characterises inflammations of the stomach or bowels. 
It may be distinguished from inflamed lungs, by the absence 
of an intensely cold feel in the nose and mouth ; neither is 
there a watery exudation from them, as in pneumonia : nor is 
the head held up to facilitate breathing. From inflamed bowels 
it may be distinguished, by the general symptoms being less 



88 INFLAMED LIVER. 

severe ; neither is the region of the belly so hot and tense j 
although I have observed the right side enlarged and tender. 
On the second day of the inflammation the urine becomes 
yellow, and the eyes and mouth also appear the same. 

This disease is sometimes attended with purging, but much 
oftener with constipation. When active purging is present, 
the complaint usually degenerates into the fourth kind, or the 
bilious inflammation of the bowels. Hepatitis, or inflamed 
liver, is commonly fatal, unless attended to sufficiently early. 
When the sickness becomes frequent, when the limbs appear 
paralytic, and the mouth is pale and cold, a fatal termi- 
nation may be expected. 

The proper treatment of the complaint consists in an early 
and plentiful bleeding. A stimulating or blistering applica- 
tion should be applied to the belly, particularly towards the 
right side. A moderate purge should also be administered ; 
and, if circumstances should prevent the application of any 
stimulant to the region of the liver, the dog should be put 
into warm water twice or thrice during the day. After the 
purge has operated, give the following every three or four 
hours : — 

Powdered foxglove 8 grains 

Antimonial powder 16 grains 

Nitre in powder 1 dram. 

Mix, and divide into seven, nine, or twelve powders ; or make 
into as mauy balls, according to the size of the dog. If 
amendment does not become apparent, repeat the bleeding 
and other remedies. 

Chronic inflammation of the liver arises sometimes spon- 
taneously, and is idiopathic. In other cases it is brought on 
by the agency of other affections. Long continued or in- 
verted mange will tend to produce disease in the liver. In 
some cases of distemper, also, a dull inflammatory action 
of the liver occurs, and which is almost always accompanied 
with a pustular eruption over the belly. The skin is alto 



INFLAMED LIVER. 89 

commonly tinged with a biliary suffusion, but the urine is 
invariably impregnated with a very large quantity of bile. 

This complaint produces dulness, wasting, a staring coat, 
and very often a tumour may be felt in the right side of the 
belly. From the unhealthy appearance of the hair, it is often 
mistaken for worms ; but it may be distinguished from that 
complaint by the want of the voracity of appetite which 
characterises worms, and also by the increased dulness of 
manner. 

, The treatment of this disease should be commenced by a 
mercurial purge, after which give, night and morning, one of 
the following balls : — 

Calomel 20 grains 

Antimonial powder 30 grains 

Powdered myrrh 2 drams 

Powdered gentian 2 drams 

Aloes 2 drams. 

Mix with any adhesive matter, and divide into fifteen, twenty, 
or twenty-five balls, according to the size of the dog. 

Mercurial ointment 1 ounce 

Blistering ointment 2 drams 

Yellow basilicon 1 ounce. 

Rub into the region of the liver a small portion of this oint- 
ment (the size of a nutmeg) once every day. Pursue this 
treatment some time, carefully watching the mouth, to guard 
against sudden and violent salivation. A moderate soreness 
of the mouth is, however, to be encouraged and kept up : 
nor have I ever succeeded in removing the complaint with- 
out it. 

eeecoo 

Inflamed Lungs. 

Pneumonia is not an unfrequent complaint among dogs. 
In some years it is remarkable that it rages in an epidemic 



90 INFLAMED LUNGS. 

form, and destroys vast numbers. In general cases it may, 
however, be traced to arise from the action of cold on the 
body. I have seen it brought on, in a great number of in- 
stances, by the cruel practice of clipping or shearing rough 
dogs in cold weather. Throwing dogs into the water, and 
afterwards neglecting to dry them, is also not an uncommon 
cause of it. In fact, any unusual exposure to cold may oc- 
casion it. 

The complaint is commonly rapid, and usually fatal: its 
fatal tendency being much increased by the circumstance, that 
it has in most instances arrived at such a height, before it at- 
tracts sufficient notice, as to baffle all attempts at reducing 
the inflammation. 

During one of the times it raged in an epidemic form, which 
was in a warm mild spring, hardly any dog survived beyond 
the third day ; about which time most of those affected were 
choaked by the quantity of water formed within the chest. 

The disease frequently originates from distemper also, but 
it is then less rapid. 

A serous effusion is a very frequent, but not an invariable 
termination of the complaint. 1 have seen it destroy by a 
congestion of blood within the lungs. It also, if early at- 
tended to, terminates sometimes by resolution and returning 
health. 

Inflammation of the lungs shews itself by a very quick labo- 
rious breathing ; the heart beats in a very rapid but oppressed 
manner. The head is held up to enable the dog to breathe 
more freely, and which peculiar posture very strongly charac- 
terises the complaint. In almost every instance also there is 
a considerable moisture distilling from the nose ; which, toge- 
ther with the ears and paws, are in general extremely and 
unnaturally cold. There is often a short quick cough, but 
this is not invariable. ■ 

The cure should be begun by bleeding, and that very 
largely ; but it must be particularly remembered that bleed- 



INFLAMED LUNGS. 91 

ing ought only to be attempted early in the complaint : if it 
is performed after the second day, the dog commonly dies 
under the operation. This circumstance should never be for- 
gotten by a practitioner who may happen to be called in, the 
recollection of which may save him much mortification and 
disgrace. The first bleeding, if early attempted, may save, 
provided it is a full and copious one. For every pound a dog 
weighs, as far as eight pounds, he may lose half an ounce of 
blood. From that weight upwards, he may lose a quarter of 
an ounce for every pound, unless it should be a very large 
heavy dog, when the proportion must be moderated. The 
whole chest should likewise be immediately blistered between . 
the fore legs, and behind the elbows, by rubbing in a blister- 
ing ointment, and covering the parts afterwards with a cloth. 
If blistering ointment is not at hand, oil of turpentine, well 
rubbed in, and repeated at intervals of two or three hours, 
will do nearly as well. A clyster should also be given, and 
no time should be lost in administering the following by the 
mouth likewise : — 

Powdered foxglove 12 grains 

Tartar emetic 3 grains 

Nitre 1 dram. 

Mix, and divide into six, nine, or twelve powders, or form 
into balls, and give one every two or three hours. But if 
there should be much cough present, then substitute the fol- 
lowing : — 

Tincture of foxglove 1 dram 

Tartar emetic 3 grains 

Nitre 1 dram 

Oxymel m 2 ounces 

Give from a tea to a desert-spoonful of this mixture every 
two or three hours. If either of these medicines pukes the 
dog, moderate the dose. 

In this complaint it is peculiarly requisite to keep the dog 
in a cool temperature. Provided his skin is screened from 



92 INFLAMED STOMACH. 

the access of cold, it is no matter how much cool air he has. If 
amendment does not appear evident in four hours, the bleed- 
ing may be repeated, and the blistering likewise. But if, in 
spite of these renewed applications, the nose and mouth con- 
tinue intensely cold, and the head remains held as high, or 
even higher, than before, a fatal termination may be expected. 

eeocco 
Inflamed Stomach. 

The stomach is less frequently affected with idiopathic 
. inflammation than the bowels ; it is, however, now and then 
the seat of primary inflammation, and it often becomes affected 
when the bowels are so. When the stomach is primarily in- 
flamed, the sickness is incessant and most distressing, the 
thirst is unquenchable, and whatever is taken in, is imme- 
diately thrown up again. There is also very great distress iu 
the countenance, but the dog has less disposition to hide him- 
self than in simple bowel affection. The mouth slavers, and 
is hot and cold by turns. 

Gastritis, when violent, is seldom relieved, even by any 
treatment. When it does admit of cure, it is done by bleeding 
early and largely; with warm bathing, and injections. The chest 
should be blistered also, but nothing should be given by the 
mouth. 

The stomach, it is evident, must be also liable to become 
inflamed from poisonous substances ; but in these cases the 
treatment proper to pursue is very different. — See Poisons. 

ooooco 

Looseness, or Purging. 

Dogs are very subject, under various circumstances, to 
diarrhoea. It is seldom that dogs have the popular disease 
termed the Distemper, but that they are purged with it ; and 



LOOSENESS, OR PURGING. £3 

this looseness is one of the most fatal accompaniments the dis- 
ease can have. In the distemper, the colour and consistence 
of the loose stools vary much ; sometimes they are glairy or 
mucus-like, at others yellow, and sometimes totally black: 
but, when the purging has lasted some time, they invariably 
become yellow. Another common cause of purging among 
dogs arises from worms ; in which cases, the stools are less 
liquid, but more glairy and frothy : they vary also from day 
to day, being at one time loose, and at another costive. 

Dogs, who have a diarrhoea for many days, become in- 
flamed and slightly ulcerated within the fundament, by which 
a constant irritation and tenesmus is kept up ; and the poor 
animal, feeling as though he wanted to evacuate, is continually 
trying to bring something away. Persons seeing this are fre- 
quently led into error; for, under a supposition that there 
exists actual costiveness at the time, they give purging medi- 
cines, which greatly aggravate the complaint, and frequently 
destroy the dog. When the diarrhoea is considerable, there 
is always violent thirst, and cold water is sought after with 
great eagerness ; but which increases the evil, and, therefore, 
should be removed, and broth or rice-water should be sub- 
stituted in its room. 

The cure of diarrhoea must depend on the light in which 
we are led to consider it ; whether as a disease of itself, or as 
merely the symptom of some other existing disease. For in- 
stance, a bilious purging, which may come on suddenly with 
violent vomiting, must be cured by carrying off the offending 
vitiated bile from the bowels. In the looseness occasioned by 
worms also, purgatives, or other means, must be made use of 
to remove the cause, and not astringents, which would merely 
apply to the effect. But when diarrhoea appears an idiopa- 
thic affection, that is, as a diseased action of the bowels them- 
selves ; and also when it is produced by distemper, it should 
in either case be immediately checked, or it may produce 
such weakness and emaciation as will destroy the dog. In 



94 LOOSENESS, OR PURGING. 

the distemper it is particularly necessary to check the loose- 
ness very early ; as, when it is coutinued beyond the third or 
fourth day, its invariable effect is to destroy the appetite, 
after which, of course, the weakness increases in a double 
degree. 

The remedies employed, when diarrhcea is a primary com- 
plaint, are generally either of an absorbent or an astringent 
nature : but experience proves that the loosenesses and scour- 
ings of dogs are best combated by a proper mixture of both. 
In that kind which accompanies distemper, however, the disease 
frequently proves very obstinate, and even baffles every endea- 
vour to remove it. Suet, boiled in milk, has been long a favour- 
ite domestic remedy, and in slight cases is equal to the cure. 
Alum-whey has also proved useful, but more frequently as an 
injection, than by the mouth. Great benefit has also been 
experienced from an infusion of the inner rind of the bar- 
berry, particularly when the evacuations have been glairy and 
mucus-like. In cases where there has been an appearance of 
much bile in the stools, and the dog has been strong, I have 
found it prudent sometimes to premise an emetic of ipeca- 
cuanha, after which either of the following recipes may be 
used with advantage. In point of efficacy they are to be 
ranked, according to my experience, in the order in which 
they stand. 

No. 1.— Catechu, powdered 1 dram 

Gum arabic, powdered 1 dram 

Prepared chalk 2 drams. 

Make into balls, with conserve of roses, and give, from the 
size of a hazelnut to that of a small walnut, two or three 
times a day, according to the urgency of the symptoms, &c. &c. 

No. 2.— Powdered rhubarb half a dram 

Powdered ipecacuanha 1 scruple 

Powdered opium 3 grains 

Prepared chalk 2 drams. 

Mix, prepare, and give, as above. 



LOOSENESS, OR PURGING. 95 

No. 3.— Magnesia 2 drams 

Powdered alum ,.*» 1 scruple 

Powdered Colombo 1 dram. 

Mix, with six ounces of boiled starch, and give a desert or a 
table-spoonful every four, six, or eight hours. 

It is necessary to be aware that the action of astringents 
is varied and uncertain. In one case one remedy only will 
be successful, and in another a very different one will alone 
do good. But in the looseness that accompanies distemper, 
none succeed so well as those called absorbent astringents. 
In very desperate cases of diarrhoea, when other means have 
failed, I have derived great benefit from astringent clysters ; 
and this so frequently, that I would, in all such cases, strongly 
recommend their adoption. From the benefit that is fre- 
quently experienced from their use ; and from the tenesmus, 
and appearance of the stools, in which a drop or two of blood 
is squeezed out at last, I am strongly inclined to think that 
the rectum, or sometimes the colon, is the principal seat of 
the complaint. 

Astringent clysters may be composed of alum whey, which 
is nothing more than milk curdled with alum. Suet, boiled 
in milk, is also an excellent clyster for the purpose. Boiled 
starch is likewise a valuable astringent clyster, and perhaps is 
the very best that can be used, if the powder No. 1 be added 
to it. In diarrhoea, it is of the greatest consequence that the 
strength should be supported by liberal but judicious feed- 
ing ; and it must not be forgotten that, when the appetite 
ceases, starch, with gravy, should be forced down in small 
quantities, but often. The animals affected with this com- 
plaint should be kept very quiet and warm, both which parts 
of the treatment must be carefully attended to. In some in- 
stances I have witnessed the good effects of a daily warm bath. 
I have also observed, where the diarrhoea of distemper has 
existed in a dog who had been before closely confined, that 

L 



96 MADNESS. 

removing him into a more free and pure atmosphere has tended 
greatly to check the disease. 

Lumbago. 
See Rheumatism. 

cococo 

Lungs, inflamed. 
See Inflamed Lungs. 

e ee eeo 

Madness. 

This work being intended as much for domestic, as for pro- 
fessional use, I shall treat on this important subject under its 
popular and generally received term of Madness. Among 
philosophers, naturalists, and medical persons, it is however 
usually distinguished by that of Rabies. But an attentive 
examination of this specific malady, will shew that these ap- 
pellations are almost as much misapplied as that of hydro- 
phobia, by which it is sometimes also called. To prove the 
misapplication of these terms, it is only necessary here to re- 
mark, that there is very seldom that total alienation of intel- 
lect in rabid dogs to deserve the epithet of mad: on the con- 
trary, in the greater number of these cases, there is perfect 
recollection, a clear discrimination relative to objects and 
persons, and but little interruption of any of the faculties of 
the mind. 

The subject of rabies becomes doubly interesting and im- 
portant, from the connection it has with the welfare of man- 
kind in general ; under which point of view I shall stand ex- 
cused if I dilate rather largely on it. Some years ago Mr. 
Me Y NELL, a celebrated sportsman, favoured the world with 



MADNESS. 97 

a short detail of madness, as it appeared in his kennel; and 
most extraordinary it is, that these remarks, slight as they 
were, formed the first account professedly on the rabid malady 
which had then appeared. These observations were pub- 
lished in the 19th volume of the Medical Commentaries ; and, 
from the novelty of the subject, were considered highly in- 
teresting. But whatever form the complaint might have put 
on in this particular instance ; as a general description of the 
disease, Mr. M.'s account is a vague and erroneous one; and 
was probably less the result of his own observations, than 
derived from the information of his huntsman, whose expe- 
rience was most likely confined to the few cases that he had 
met with among the dogs entrusted to him. Very different 
would have been Mr. Meynell's description of it, had his 
opportunities for personal observation of rabid cases been 
more numerous; or had the dogs, in which the disease ap- 
peared, been of a kind to have allowed a more perfect domes- 
tication with ; by which he would have been enabled to mark 
the commencement and progress of the complaint more ac- 
curately. 

From the period when this account of Mr. Meynell's ap- 
peared, until the time that a description of madness in dogs 
was first published by me in 1807, nothing on the subject had 
beeu presented to the public. But from the number of hy- 
drophobous cases that unfortunately occurred in the human, 
and the extreme prevalence of rabies in the brute subject, 
about this time, much curiosity was excited in the public mind. 
These circumstances gave rise to several treatises on hydro- 
phobia ; some of which affected to treat on rabies also. One 
gentleman in particular, resident in Hampstead, did me the 
favour to give, as his own account of the disease, what was 
almost literally copied from these remarks. If they at all 
assisted the great cause of humanity, he is most welcome to 
them ; and, had he been candid enough to have acknowledged 

L 2 



98 MADNESS. 

the source from whence he derived his information, it would 

not, I hope, have discredited his cause. 

The following statement of the rabid malady in dogs, I may 
venture to assert, will bear the test of experience : it is the 
result of many years' diligent attention to the subject, com- 
bined with opportunities perhaps never before enjoyed by any 
person, resulting from the examination of many hundred cases, 
a great proportion of which number was carefully opened and 
examined after death. These professional opportunities deeply 
impressed the subject on my mind ; and, when I considered 
its importance, combined with the many erroneous and dan- 
gerous ideas that universally prevailed relative to it, I felt it 
a duty I owed to society to give it a much greater proportion 
of attention than it had ever before met with. 

The necessity of a precise and clear knowledge of this 
complaint cannot but be evident, when we consider how to- 
tally it has hitherto been misrepresented and misunderstood. 
Perhaps hardly any other popular subject presents such a 
complete tissue of error as this. I have before had occasion 
to remark, that the very term of madness, by which it is so 
generally and universally known, conveys an idea of it most 
remote from the truth. But this is truth itself, compared to 
the impropriety of the term hydrophobia, by which also it is 
not unfrequently known. The former is sufficiently incorrect ; 
but the latter term is as inapplicable to the malady, as it 
would be to the human small pox or measles. 

The simple misnomer is, however, the least part of the mis- 
chief; for, unfortunately, a dread of water is considered, by 
persons in general, as the universal and grand characteristic 
of the complaint, and as one by which it may be infallibly 
known. I shall have further occasion to remark on the com- 
plete fallacy of this opinion ; it is sufficient here to state, that 
it is so utterly at variance with the truth, that rabid dogs, 
instead of shewing any dread of water, in most instances seek 
it with avidity, and lap it incessantly. 



MADNESS. 99 

It is incalculable the mischief that this universal prejudice 
has produced ; it has rendered thousands of persons miserable 
for months and years even : many others it has also lulled into 
a fatal security. If a poor dog, from illness, or an affection 
of any kind whatever, is prevented from swallowing, he is 
immediately pronounced mad, and is unreluctantly destroyed ; 
while horror afterwards pervades the mind of every oue who 
has beeu within his reach. Nor are the unfortunate persons, 
who may have been bitten by this same dog for months or 
years even before, exempt from the panic ; for, among the 
other popular opinions that prevail, it is believed that, if a 
dog becomes mad, any person, who may have been formerly 
bitten by the animal when he was in perfect health, is equally 
in danger of becoming mad, as though he had been bitten 
when the animal was really affected. 

On the other hand, if a dog, under any complaint, can drink, 
he is pronounced free from all danger of madness ; and so 
universal is this opinion, that Dr. H., an eminent physician 
now in very extensive practice iu the western part of London, 
who was consulted by a person bitten, immediately inquired 
whether the dog, by which he was endangered, could drink ; 
and, on being informed that he could, he peremptorily pro- 
nounced that there was no danger of madness, and actually 
recommended that no precautions might be taken. This 
gentleman was guilty of a piece of professional presumption 
and ignorance unworthy his rank and situation ; and his ad- 
vice, had it been followed, might have caused the death of 
three persons. Fortunately for them, his opinion was not at- 
tended to, and I dissected the wounded parts out of each of 
them. In five weeks, an unfortunate spaniel, who had been 
bitten by this same dog, became mad ; and in six weeks a 
horse, bitten by him, became mad also. 

It cannot, therefore, be too strongly inculcated, that dogs, 
labouring under the rabid complaint, never have the least 
distaste to water, nor the slightest dread of it : on the con- 



100 MADNESS. 

irary, ia almost every instance they fly to it with eagerness. 
Very frequently, from a paralysis of the muscles of the lower 
jaw, or perhaps of those of the tongue, the water takes re- 
turns as fast as it is lapped; but this circumstance ought 
never to lead into error, because, in all such instances, the 
dog still hangs anxiously over the liquid, and continually laps 
it, though probably he swallows none. But his whole manner 
is most remote from betraying any fear, dread, or disgust, 
either to water, or to the act of swallowing liquids in general. 
I have very frequently seen the nose thrust up to the eyes 
into a vessel of cold water, purposely to enjoy the sense of 
cold occasioned thereby ; for there is evidently a violent fever 
present, in which the thirst is most distressing, and the sense 
of heat not less so. 

It may again, therefore, be remarked upon the danger of 
considering the disease either absent or present, according 
as the suspected dog does or does not drink. Nor can it be 
too strongly insisted on, that no judgment whatever can be 
formed relative to it on such grounds; and every pains ought 
to be taken to stop the diffusion of this error. 

Another popular prejudice prevails also with regard to ra- 
bies, which is, if possible, more absurd, though perhaps rather 
less dangerous than the preceding; but is as generally received, 
and as widely diffused : and, as though it was not sufficiently 
so already, it is still further propagated in many late works of 
elegance and popularity. The error alluded to is, that the 
removing a supposed worm from under the dog's tongue, will 
prevent his becoming rabid at any future time. Others do 
not go this length entirely ; but they are equally certain, that, 
if he does go mad, he cannot bite when he is so. It appears 
.almost contemptible to combat such childish and ridiculous 
notions; and nothing but their widely-extended reception, 
and their baleful influence, could make me consent gravely to 
refute them. 

There is, in the first place, no such thing as a worm, or any 



MADNESS. 101 

thing like one, in any part of a dog's mouth. Anatomists all 
know that most pendulous organs, partially attached to others, 
have a doubling of the skin to secure them in their situation, 
anatomically termed a froenum, or sort of bridle. It is this 
duplicature of skin under a child's tongue that is cut by nurses 
to give it more liberty. This froenum immediately appears on 
opening a dog's mouth and lifting up his tongue ; exteuding 
from almost the point to the root of it, like a prominent por- 
tion of skin, that evidently was intended to confine the tongue 
from passing backwards into the throat, which otherwise it 
might readily do under convulsions. This skin is doubled, 
and has besides an interposed elastic ligamentous substance to 
strengthen it. It is common, in the operation called worming, 
to strip off this froenum from the tongue ; the violence made 
use of in doing which puts it on the stretch, so that, when 
removed from the mouth, its recoil is adduced as a proof that 
it is alive, and proves it a worm, in the opinion of credulity. 

That this is no worm, and that there is no such thing as a 
worm in the mouth, any person may easily convince himself 
of by examination ; and, having convinced himself of this, it 
must be evident that the simple removal of a portion of skiu, 
whose use is so apparent, can have no effect in preventing 
madness. It is to be regretted that, in so respectable a work 
as the new Cyclopaedia of Dr. Rees, this gross error is pro- 
pagated, together with several others almost as absurd, on the 
subject of dogs. It would have been more candid in the in- 
genious collator of the above work, had he placed his autho- 
rities opposite to each article of information. By this arrange- 
ment he would have avoided a very manifest injustice to some 
of the contributors. Much of the matter on the diseases of 
dogs was furnished by the author of this work, at the express 
request of Dr. Rees. It was also presumed, that so much 
had been contributed as to leave the subject as complete as 
the nature of circumstances, and the limits of that work would 
admit of: but, not content with what long experience and 






102 MADNESS. 

attentive observation had made unquestionable, the collator 
chose to mix with these the farrago of sportsmen, kennei 
keepers, and grooms ; and, among other vulgar errors fully 
detailed, is this one, of the mode of extracting the worm from 
under the dog's tongue. It may be also remarked, as a proof 
of the literary liberality manifest in that work, that the arti- 
cles which were furnished gratuitously, and had a claim to 
originality, have no acknowledged author ; while those which 
have been collated from questionable sources, and of still more 
questionable merit, have the names of their supposed authors 
assigned them. 

A third erroneous and dangerous prejudice prevails on this 
subject. This, which has been before hinted at, consists in 
the popular and very common name of madness, by which the 
complaint is almost universally known ; but which, as already 
observed, is almost as much a misnomer as hydrophobia. By 
the term mad, persons naturally suppose that a dog, to be af- 
fected with the rabid malady, must necessarily be wild and 
furious ; and in every written description it is so made out : 
but so far is this from being the true case, that in hardly any 
one instance in an adult dog did I ever observe a total aliena- 
tion of the mind ; and in very few have the mental faculties 
even been much disturbed : on the contrary, the unhappy 
subjects of the complaint commonly know the voice of their 
master, and are obedient to it, frequently to the very last mo- 
ments of their existence. 

In other animals, however, there is more propriety in the 
term; for even the peaceable sheep becomes astonishingly fe- 
rocious in this malady. In the rabid horse, the sight is most 
terrific ; I have seen one clear a six-stall stable of racks, man- 
gers, standings, and posts ; and every thing, but the bare walls, 
was levelled into ruins around him. On the mal-appropri- 
ation of this widely-diffused term I shall have numerous other 
occasions of remarking. 

A fourth erroneous* idea also prevails, and which I shall 



MADNESS. 103 

probably find great difficulty in combating ; but it is my firm 
opinion, contrary to the general one, that no dog breeds mad- 
ness ; that is, that no dog becomes mad from any other cause 
whatever, but his being bitten or inoculated by another dog. 
It may be asked, How came the disease at first] In answer, 
How came human small pox, measles, or syphilis ? They were 
all first generated by combinations unknown to us, but are 
never now produced but by infection. Out of the vast variety 
of cases that have come under my notice, I never met with one 
in which I could not trace the certain exposure of the animal 
to danger, although I have often had to examine very closely 
to come at the truth ; so willing are persons often to deceive 
themselves. 

It may be, I believe, regarded as an incontrovertible fact, 
that every rabid dog has been previously bitten ; nor can any 
disease, pain, nor irritation, bring on the malady : nothing 
short of inoculation by the bite of a rabid animal (probably of 
the dog and cat only, and their kinds), or any insertion of the 
rabid virus into a wound or abraded surface. I should not 
hazard an opinion, so opposite to the generally received one, 
had I not carefully considered the matter, and had I not 
grounded my opinions on long experience. 

It is also, I believe, equally erroneous to suppose that mad- 
ness, as it is called, is more prevalent in summer than iu winter, 
as is very generally considered ; but which is equally incon- 
sistent with reason as with fact : for, if the malady depends 
wholly on inoculation, it is evident that the prevalence of it 
must be entirely accidental. Neither have heat and drought 
any effect in producing it : in some of the countries under the 
torrid zone it is unknown. 

However tradition and error may have implanted the fore- 
going prejudices and opinions in the mind of the public, they 
will be found, on attentive examination and experience, to 
be wholly without foundation; and the reception of them 



104 MADNESS. 

leads to false conclusions, as well as to unnecessary fear and 
dread. 

I shall proceed now to describe the symptoms of the rabid 
malady as they appear under the numerous varieties of the 
complaint ; varieties which are so considerable as to make it 
very difficult to decide upon the disease in many instances, 
except by those much accustomed to its appearances, and who 
have paid particular attention to the subject. 

The disease commonly commences with some peculiarity in 
the dog's manner, some departure from his usual habits, or 
the introduction of new ones. In a considerable number of 
instances, this peculiarity consists in a disposition to pick up 
straws, thread, and paper ; it is particularly the case with 
smaller dogs, who generally reside within doors. I have often 
seen one clear a carpet so perfectly, that not the smallest loose 
object of any kind has remained on it. Others again, as the 
first symptom, shew an eager disposition to lick the anus and 
privates of another dog. In one instance, I foretold the ap- 
proach of the disease by the uncommon attachment of a pug 
puppy to a kitten, which he was continually licking ; as well 
as the cold nose of a healthy pug that was with him. He was 
disposed to do the same likewise to every thing cold, as the 
grate, fire irons, &c. A similar propensity I have remarked 
in several other cases. In some there is an early sickness of 
stomach, but it is very seldom that this continues through the 
disease. It is much more usual for them to pick up all sorts 
of indigestible matter, during the latter periods of its conti- 
nuance, and to retain them to the last within the stomach. 

The appetite is not always lost ; in many instances food 
continues to be eaten, and in some cases it appears to be di- 
gested too, during the first stages of the affection. No opi- 
nion of the complaint is, therefore, to be drawn from these 
circumstances, although much stress was erroneously laid on 
4hem in Mr. Meynell's account. 



MADNESS. 105 

. In some cases, the earliest symptom is a violent scratching, 
licking, or even biting, of some part of the body. This ap- 
pearance always arises from a morbid sympathy in the origi- 
nally bitten part, which I believe in every instance, both in 
the human and brute, first shews marks of affection. I have 
seen a dog, who had been known to be bitten in the foot, 
some weeks afterwards begin to lick the same part gently, then 
violently, incessantly whining over it at the same time, as 
though distressed ; till at last he proceeded to actually gnaw 
it. I have seen the same also happen to the shoulder. In 
others I have observed a violent rubbing of the lips, or of the 
•ears, previous to other symptoms of affection : but in all cases 
.where these appearances occur, the morbid sympathy remains 
equally distressing in the part ; during the continuance of the 
malady. Some dogs, early in the disease, will eat their own 
excrement. Lapping their own water is also very commonly 
observed among them, and is so usual a mark of the complaint, 
that it should always be inquired after. 

Another very common symptom of rabies, particularly of 
the irritable and mischievous kind, is an antipathy to cats: 
even the cats they have heretofore lived in friendship with, 
are, very early in the complaint, the objects of their unceasing 
annoyance. The progress of this irritability and aversion to 
other auimals is often clear and well marked. Cats are the 
first objects of their anger, while no dislike is manifested to- 
wards dogs. Next however dogs, particularly strange ones, 
are attacked ; but those they are acquainted with are still re- 
spected. As, however, the disease advances, they do not even 
spare those dogs they are accustomed to; and, last of all, 
they sometimes bite even human persons around them : but, 
except in a moment of irritability, they very seldom abso- 
lutely attack any human being. 

In contradiction to this it may be asked, How then are per- 
sons bitten in the streets by passing dogs'? This may be sa- 



106 MADNESS. 

tisfactorily answered and readily accounted for, without in the 
least weakening the former assertions. 

One of the most common but extraordinary accompaniments 
of madness, as it is called, is an irresistible impulse in dogs to 
propagate the disease among their species. Roving about with 
this intent, they become irritated ; and, by a momentary im- 
pulse of anger, may occasionally bite human persons. As for 
instance, when some one may run against a dog in this state, 
or may incautiously lift up a stick in threat, or, in some way 
or other, may offer him an offence. But as the intention to 
propagate the disease is more an instinctive than a rational 
effort ; and, as this morbid intent appears confined to their 
own species ; so the very fact of their thus roving about, in- 
stead of proving a mischievous disposition towards human 
persons, proves directly the reverse. Iu very few of these 
cases do they, I believe, turn out of their way to attack even 
a horse, still less a human subject, uuless they have been pre- 
viously hunted, or unless the disease occurs in a young dog, 
in whom, as I shall shew, it puts on a different appearance to 
what it does in the adult. Under irritation from offence, they 
may, and occasionally certainly do, bite both one and the 
other during these wanderings ; but the instinctive mischievous 
principle is directed mostly to their own species. 

It must be remembered that, in all these remarks, I am 
guided by the broad scale of a general and extended expe- 
rience. A solitary fact may, and does now and then, occur, 
which is at variance with many or with most of these appear- 
ances : much also may depend on the natural temper of the 
rabid animal. In dogs habitually ferocious, and in all those 
who are less perfectly domesticated, as hounds, &c, the com- 
plaint may assume more violence. It must, however, be re- 
membered, that such dogs, in the country particularly, are 
apt to be hunted into fury ; under which treatment even the 
patient ox will become wild and vengeful. But even in these 



MADNESS. 107 

dogs, when the disease is left entirely to itself, it will assume 
nearly the appearances described. The foregoing observa- 
tions will, therefore, be found correct in the aggregate. 

It cannot, however, be denied, that a great many rabid dogs 
exhibit a very considerable degree of irritability ; but it is 
contended, that this irritability is devoid of wildness, ferocity, 
or mental alienation. It is more like the irritability and 
peevishness of a child or a sick person, at least such is the 
case in the early stages of the disease ; during which the 
gentleness, attachment, and obedience, common to them at 
other times, are preserved nearly entire : by degrees, however, 
they will snap gently, or run at a person's foot, as though in 
play ; yet they will not, at this time, bite, but will rather take 
the foot or hand into the mouth with a certain sort of playful 
quickness. It is however peculiar, that a stick held to a dog, 
even in this stage, is sure to excite his anger, even from those 
he is most fond of, and he will seize and shake it with violence. 
This is a very common symptom in the complaint; and, as it 
serves peculiarly to characterise it, so it should be particu- 
larly attended to, as well as the other marks of occasional irri- 
tability that may be present. For, even in those cases where 
the usual attachment to the owners is very manifest, yet there 
is au evident and remarkable impatience of controul; and 
the subjects of the malady are with difficulty frightened. 
Indeed, with regard to temper it must be owned, that the 
disease exhibits great contradiction, as may be gained from 
these accounts : but what I would wish to impress on the 
minds of persons concerned, is, that the term of madness is 
misapplied, and that the character of ferocity and wildness 
expected from the term, is seldom to be met with. 

On the contrary, in many instances the usual meekness, 
attachment, and obedience, continue to the very last; and, 
when this is the case, as is not uncommon, particularly with 
those dogs who have been closely domesticated, and have 
been strongly attached to their owners, it is then very difficult 



108 MADNESS. 

for the persons around to be persuaded, that what is called 
madness is present. I have, however, seen a vast number of 
cases where there was not the smallest disposition to bite or 
to prove offensive ; but, on the contrary, the poor animals 
affected have constantly looked up to those about them with 
distress and apparent entreaty for relief. When it has been 
allowed, I have seen the parched tongue eagerly carried over 
the hands and feet of those the suffering brute has been used to, 
with even more than the usual fondness and regard. I have 
also been consulted in numberless instances, in which rabid 
dogs have followed persons quietly through the streets to my 
house, or have been brought there in the arms. In these cases 
the total disinclination to do mischief, has completely misled 
their owners with regard to the real nature of the illness ap- 
parent. 

I have dwelt on these circumstances with more minuteness 
than may to some seem requisite. But I have been induced 
to do so, to reconcile the seeming contradictions implied, to 
guard the unwary against surprise, and to ease the unhappy 
from unnecessary dread and fear. I am by no means disposed 
to throw any one off his guard, or to encourage an unwarrant- 
able security, with regard to the peaceableness of the temper 
in rabies. I would, on the contrary, strongly impress on the 
minds of my readers, that there is a constant necessity for 
caution in these cases, from the irritability present ; and like- 
wise from a peculiar treacherous disposition that very often 
exists, and cannot be too much guarded against. These cau- 
tious I would as strongly inculcate for the security of the pub- 
lic, as I have already endeavoured to combat the prejudices 
relative to the existence of a wild ferocious manner, so strongly 
characterised by the name of madness ; to which both the irri- 
tability and treachery are unlike. 

The treachery and irritability displayed, from whence alone 
arise what danger exists, it is my particular wish to prove, are 
not dependent on perfect alienation of mind, but are the effect 1 ' 



MADNESS. 109 

either of a momentary impulse, or of the instinctive wish to 
propagate the disease already noticed. The treacherous part 
of the disposition is well marked by the manner of the animal, 
who will in such a case readily come, when called for, with 
every mark of tractability ; will wag his tail, and seem pleased 
with attention ; yet he will be very likely to turn, on a sud- 
den, and snap at the person who is caressing him. When, 
therefore, a treacherous irritability of this kind happens to a 
dog, at other times good tempered, it ought to be regarded as 
a suspicious circumstance ; and, if the animal has other symp- 
toms of illness, this ought greatly to strengthen the supposition 
that he is rabid. 

I cannot more appropriately, than in this place, introduce 
the notice of a very extraordinary circumstance attendant on 
this malady, and one which may have had considerable influ* 
ence towards gaining it the wild mischievous character in 
general cases erroneously attributed to it. When a puppy, 
or a dog lately, or not yet arrived at his full growth, becomes 
affected with rabies, the complaint assumes a very different 
character to what it does in an adult or older dog. This is 
very remarkable, and is very difficult to be accounted for; 
but the fact is, I believe, invariable. In such cases there is 
really much wildness, and much mischievous tendency, not 
only towards dogs, but towards every thing living. There is 
also, in many of these instances, a considerable alienation of 
mind. 

It is within a month from the writing this, that a mongrel, 
about three parts grown, ran up to a favourite terrier I have, 
with an eagerness I well knew was characteristic of madness. 
My sharp call to my dog drew the attention of the other, and 
he immediately attacked me with uncommon fury; but I baffled 
his attempts to bile, though unarmed. He then left me, and 
ran down the street I was in ; but, seeming to recollect him- 
self, he turned back on a sudden, when half way down the 
street, to renew the attack on me, which I again fortunately 



110 MADNESS. 

parried with my foot. Although paralytic, and nearly covered 
with mud, his fury rendered him nimble in the extreme ; and 
the violence of his teeth snapping, in his attempts to bite, 
might be heard at a considerable distance. 

Among sportsmen there are described two varieties of the 
complaint, under the names of raging and dumb madness ; 
but whoever is attentive to the malady will find there is little 
ground for such a distinction, these two nominal kinds being, 
in fact, often blended in the same subject. I have, I hope, 
fully proved that the wild raging kind is uncommon, unless 
in a very young subject, or in one who has been hunted into 
it by pursuit or fear. On the other hand it very frequently 
happens, that, in what is known by the term dumb madness, 
there will be much irritability, restlessness, and occasional 
howling. These distinctions cannot, therefore, be with pro- 
priety maintained, farther than that some are affected with 
paralysis of the muscles of the jaws, while others are but little 
so : in fact, the varieties in the disease are so great, that no 
two cases are alike ; and the symptoms are so numerous and 
so different, that nothing hardly can be observed in any 
other complaint but what may be occasionally met with in 
this. 

The distinctions that really belong to the disease, are 
the effects of the difference of parts principally attacked by 
it. When the inflammation exists most in the bowels, it 
generally produces an affection of the neck and throat. This 
affection consists in a trifling enlargement of all the parts 
around ; the tongue hangs out, and is discoloured, and, from 
a partial paralysis of the muscles of deglutition, there is fre- 
quently a difficulty, but never any disinclination, to swallow- 
ing. In such cases there are also greater heaviness, stupor, 
and distress, with a marked weakness of the hinder parts. 
It is this kind, from the dropping of the jaw, that sportsmen 
are led to call dumb madness ; but it is evidently incorrect 
so to call it, because it is often accompanied with howling. 



MADNESS. Ill 

Oti the contrary, wheu the lungs are the principal seat of 
the affection, there are usually much more quickness and irrita- 
bility in the clog's manner. He rather barks, with a hasty 
and altered tone, than howls. He snaps at passing objects, 
as flies, and shakes his chain, or the vessels he drinks out of, 
with seeming violence : but all this is the irritability of a mo- 
ment ; for the voice of his owner will generally quiet him at 
once. As in some cases, however, both the abdominal and 
thoracic viscera are nearly equal partakers of the speci6c 
inflammation; so these symptomatic appearances are often 
blended, and appear, though in mitigated degrees, in the same 
subject. I shall have further occasion to notice this matter 
when treating on the morbid anatomy connected with rabies. 

The tones of voice should be particularly attended to in 
dogs suspected of madness. When the throat is much af- 
fected, the jaw nearly paralytic, and the tongue pendant, 
there is often a deep choaking noise, which issues from the 
throat, and is very characteristic of the malady. A few are 
wholly silent; but in general either howling or barking is heard : 
if the latter, it is with an altered tone, and quicker. It is, 
however, more common to hear from them a very peculiar 
and characteristic noise, composed of something betweeu a 
bark and a howl; being made up of tones longer than the 
one, and shorter than the other. Although more howl-like, 
it is yet so peculiar a sound, that, when once heard and 
noticed, it can never be forgotten. It is so familiar to my 
own ear, that, in one or two instances, I have actually 
heard it from one street when I was myself in another ; and, 
by following the sound, was enabled to apprise the owners of 
their danger. 

. In one particular instance the howl attracted my steps into 
a farrier's shop, where the master of it had been drenching the 
dog for a supposed stoppage in his bowels. The hands of the 
farrier, which he had passed into the dog's mouth, were covered 
with scratches, the effect of his business, which, without my 

M 



112 MADNESS. 

caution, would have remained unattended to, though super- 
abundantly inoculated with the poison. This peculiar noise 
made by rabid dogs is more like the giving tongue, as it is 
called, of a heavy slow hound than any thing beside, and is 
commonly made with the head held up in the air. 

There is likewise either great distress apparent in the coun- 
tenance, or a quick anxious look : the eyes are commonly red, 
particularly in the early stages ; frequently the inflammation 
is such as to produce matter, and not unfrequently there is 
ulceration of the pupil also. The sight, in some instances, 
becomes deceptive, and the affected subjects snap at objects 
they fancy they perceive. Flies are eagerly watched by them, 
and snapped at with great eagerness ; and frequently, from the 
deceptive vision, they imagine they see them when they do 
not. 

A very common symptom also of the disease is a disposition, 
in the affected dogs, to carry straw about in their mouths, 
which they appear to make a bed of. It is also as common to 
observe them scratch the straw they are littered with under 
them with their fore feet ; the mode of doing which is not the 
common one practised when making their beds ; but is evi- 
dently an effort to apply the straw to their bellies, and arises 
from a wish to relieve a distressing sensation in their intes- 
tines, which, it may be remarked, are always observed in these 
particular cases to be very highly inflamed after death. It is 
a similar sensation in the stomach that induces them to eat 
trash, and likewise to gnaw boards, or whatever surrounds 
them. 

When the lungs are principally affected, it is usually cha- 
racterised by a disposition to tear, with much irritability, 
whatever happens to be about them, as chains, ropes, &c. &c. 
The vessels that hold their food or water are often taken up 
and shaken with immense violence. But, although there may 
be much irritability of temper in this, still it is, in general 
cases, more dependent on a distressing sensation, felt in the 



MADNESS. US 

affected parts, than on a mischievous disposition ; for, as 
before observed, the action is immediately desisted from as 
soon as they are spoken to. Nor would they but seldom, at 
these moments, bite any human person. Indeed, there is often 
present, during this violence, a favourite companion of their 
own species, who escapes unmolested. 

I have already hinted at the propensity to rove, so common 
with those in whom the paralysis and stupor are not extreme. 
In these, the attempts to escape, form a very remarkable trait 
in the disease. It is not an attempt to run away altogether ; 
neither is it at all the effect of delirium : but it is a most 
peculiar instinctive disposition to effect the propagation of 
the disease. Such a dog trots along, and industriously looks 
out for every other dog within his reach or sight. Whenever 
he discovers one, little or large, he goes up and smells to him, 
in the usual way of dogs, and then immediately falls on him, 
usually giving him one shake only : after which, he commonly 
trots off again in search of another object. The quickness 
with which this attack is made very frequently surprises the 
bitten dog so much, as to prevent his immediately resenting 
it : but nothing is more erroneous than the supposition, that a 
healthy dog instinctively knows a rabid or mad one. I have 
watched these attacks in numerous cases, and I have seen the 
mad dog tumbled over and over, without the least hesitation, 
by others that he had attacked. 

When a rabid dog has roved about for an indeterminate 
period, as ten or even twenty hours, he will return home 
quietly, if not discovered and destroyed in his progress ; which, 
in cities and large towns, he seldom is. But in the country 
it is different, and, therefore, this peculiarity has not an op- 
portunity to shew itself; for there the unfortunate animal is 
soon detected by the strangeness of his manner, and is imme- 
diately hunted. If not overtaken, he is too much alarmed to 
return soon ; and, before he has time to recover his fright, he 
is discovered in some other situation, aud falls a sacrifice to 

M2 



114 MADNESS. 

the anger of his pursuers. The very hunting will, of course, 
do to him what it would to any other dog; it will beget fury: 
otherwise there would very seldom be much ferocity appa- 
rent ; and in most instances such a dog would return home 
when thoroughly tired. 

During this march of mischief, rabid dogs very seldom, 
however, turn out of the way to bite human passengers. 
Neither do they often attack horses, or any other animals but 
their own species. Sometimes they will not go out of their 
line of march to attack these even ; but, trotting leisurely 
along, will bite only those who fall immediately in their way. 
In other cases, however, where the natural habit is irritable 
and ferocious, and where dogs may have been used to worry 
other animals, as bull dogs, farmers' dogs, terriers, &c, the 
disposition to bite other animals is sometimes apparent ; and 
by such, horses, cows, sheep, and pigs, if they fall in the way, 
are all indiscriminately bitten. It is in such cases also that, 
if a passenger's hand is exposed, or if his foot accident- 
ally strikes the rabid dog, a snap is sometimes made, and 
the animal passes on. 

In the early stages of the disease, when their activity is yet 
considerable, rabid dogs will travel immense distances, im- 
pelled by the instinctive desire to propagate the malady. 
Under these circumstances, it must be evident that they are 
liable to be beaten by other dogs, or attacked by persons ; 
and I have known numerous instances of their returning home 
apparently half killed from the injuries they have met with. 
Whenever this has happened, I have invariably observed that 
the progress of the complaint has been in some degree ar- 
rested : such dogs have uniformly been more calm for two or 
three succeeding days, so much so, as to deceive those around 
them, and give hopes of recovery. This is a very curious fact, 
but it is no less certain than curious. The constitution, in 
these instances, seems to have received a shock that is capable of 
diverting the morbid fever into another course. Soon, however, 



MADNESS. 115 

the deadly poison resumes its vigour, and the wretched animal 
sinks. 

When the rabid malady attacks by what is called dumb 
madness, which is the most prevailing form of it ; that is, 
when the excitement is probably less considerable on the 
brain; or what there is produces torpor and a dull heavy 
sluggish appearance; there is usually considerable affection 
of the mouth and throat. To speak anatomically, the whole 
of the pharynx and larynx are tumefied, and the surrounding 
muscles affected with paralysis. From this cause the lower 
jaw drops, and is incapable of remaining closely applied to 
the upper. The tongue becomes also affected with the para- 
lysis, and hangs pendulous without the mouth. A similar 
torpor apparently pervades the blood vessels of these parts, 
which become filled with venous blood : the tongue in parti- 
cular is black, more especially so at the apex or point : some- 
times a black stripe extends along the whole extent. The 
paralysis extends to the back of the oesophagus, from which a 
great difficulty is frequently experienced in swallowing ; but 
in no instance is any dread of liquids expressed ; nor does 
even the attempt to swallow appear to give pain. The larynx, 
participating in the affection, occasions a deep choaking kind 
of noise, which seems to issue from the bottom of the glottis. 

Sometimes the mouth is quite dry and parched ; at others it 
is very moist, and a quantity of saliva continually flows from 
the jaws. When the mouth is affected in this manner, the 
sufferings of the poor animal are extreme, for his thirst impels 
him to be continually lapping ; but the paralysis of the lower 
jaw prevents his retaining the liquid in his mouth, and it falls 
out as fast as taken in. 

The mischievous tendency in rabies is apt to be overrated 
in most cases ; but in those, where the mouth and throat are 
affected in this manner, it is usually even still less manifest. 
Nor does this peaceable disposition arise, as is usually sup- 
posed by persons, from an inability to bite ; but it more fre- 



116 MADNESS. 

quently depends on a total want of the inclination to do it 
Indeed, in many cases of this kind the tractability of character 
and mildness of disposition have appeared to be even increased 
by the disease, and that to a degree that will not permit 
strangers to suppose it possible for rabies to be present. It 
would sensibly affect any one, to witness the earnest imploring 
look I have often seen from the unhappy sufferers under this 
dreadful malady. The strongest attachment has been mani- 
fested to those around during their utmost sufferings ; and 
the parched tongue, as I have before noticed, has been carried 
over the hands and feet of those who noticed them, with more 
than usual fondness. 

This disposition has continued to the last moment of life, 
in many cases, without one manifestation of any inclination to 
bite, or do the smallest harm. I have observed this particu- 
larly in pugs, as well as other lap dogs. 

A very great number, of those who are affected, have obsti- 
nate costiveness ; the removal of which does not, however, 
produce any relief. This constipation appears to arise from 
the peculiar inflammation that -exists in the bowels ; to which 
cause we must also attribute, that it is so common for them 
to appear paralysed and weak in the loins. I have seen this 
affection of the bowels produce a tendency in a dog to sit 
constantly on his rump, wholly upright ; in others it has pro- 
duced convulsive spasms not unlike St. Vitus's dance. I have 
also seen one side wholly paralysed, while the other has re- 
mained unaffected : many varieties occur, but an evident fail- 
ing in the loins is a very common accompaniment to the dis- 
ease. 

These appearances are, I believe, dependent on the inflamed 
state of the bowels principally. Other symptoms sometimes 
occur that shew that the brain also suffers in some cases, in 
common with the other important organs. In some instances 
it seems to possess an increased degree of excitement, pro- 
ducing watchfulness, starting, and irritability : but, however 



MADNESS. 117 

watchful a dog may appear in such case, he is commonly ob- 
served every now and then to yield to a dozing momentary 
stupor. In some other cases, the brain appears to suffer from 
diminished energy, as may be gained from the foregoing cata- 
logue of symptoms. 

The duration of the complaint is also various ; few die sooner 
than the third day, and very few survive longer than the 
seventh. The average number die on the fourth and fifth 
days. In other rabid quadrupeds the existence is protracted 
to a similar period. 

The intervening time between the inoculation by the rabid 
bite, and the appearance of the consequent disease, is uncer- 
tain. In the majority of instauces, the effects commence be- 
tween the third and the seventh week. Cases, however, do 
now and then occur, where three, four, or even a greater num- 
ber of months have elapsed before they take place. In general,, 
however, after eight weeks have passed, the danger may be 
considered as trifling. A week is the shortest period that I 
ever knew between the bite and the appearauce of the dis- 
ease. 

I am inclined to believe that accidental circumstances also 
influence the early or late appearance of the attack. I have 
known it come on very soon after inoculation, being appa- 
rently hastened by a long journey in the dust and heat. I 
have likewise known the oestrum, or heat of a bitch, produce, 
to all appearance, a more early attack. A cold taken, or any 
other accidental ailment, may also, I believe, prematurely for- 
ward it. I have observed likewise, that those subjects, who 
have been bitten in the head, have seemed to be more speedily 
affected than those who have been bitten in other parts of 
the body. 

Having thus enlarged upon the living appearances, I shall 
next endeavour to detail those that occur after death. Nor 
is the morbid anatomy but little less important than the living 
tokens; for very frequently it is not until after the dog is 



118 MADNESS, 

dead, that he is suspected of having been rabid or mad, al- 
though he may have bitten several persons during his illness. 
Under such circumstances it is evident, that it is of the utmost 
importance to be able to decide, from an inspection of the 
dead body, whether the rabid malady did or did not exist. 

Most fortunately, the appearances that present themselves 
after death are, to those conversant with the subject, suffi- 
ciently decisive to enable them to form a clear judgment on 
the matter by these means. From the immense number of cases 
in which 1 have examined these morbid appearances after 
death, they have become so familiar to me, that I never wish 
other guide or clue, relative to the existence of the disease, 
than the suspected body. 

Important as this subject is, it is remarkable that until I 
inserted some years ago, in the Cyclopaedia of Dr. R££s, an 
outline of the morbid anatomy of the rabid dog, no mention of 
it had ever been made in any work I am acquainted with. 
Since that time, however, several slight accounts have ap- 
peared ; the principal of which was ungenerously pirated and 
compiled from the former account published by me. 

It is not a little remarkable that, in the human subjects who 
have died of hydrophobia, hardly any alteration of the organs 
of the body has been discoverable after death : while, on the 
contrary, in the dog, vast and decided marks of disease are 
always apparent. 

In such rabid dogs as have exhibited, during life, much 
irritability, panting, and a disposition to mischief, there will 
commonly be found, on dissection, a little increased vascula- 
rity of the brain and its membrane; but the inflammatory 
appearances never exist in a degree sufficient to make them a 
characteristic mark of the complaint. Throughout the cavity 
of the mouth, but more particularly at its hinder part, anato- 
mically called the pharynx, some marks of inflammation are 
always found : but these are not always in proportion to the 
degree of affection exhibited in the symptoms during life. It 



MADNESS. 119 

is worthy of remark, however, that a peculiar inflammatory 
spot is always discoverable at the back of the fauces, which 
very strongly characterises the disease, and is, I believe, never 
absent. The slight tumefaction that existed, during life, about 
these parts, usually disappears after death ; but an inflamma- 
tory tinge remains which envelopes the rimaglottis, and some- 
times extends downwards : less frequently does it pervade the 
cesophagus. 

Proceeding onwards, we shall meet with sufficient charac- 
teristics from the morbid appearances that invariably appear 
in the viscera, of either the chest or belly, or of both ; and it 
is to the lungs, or the stomach, or the bowels, that we must 
look for certain marks of specific affection. 

In the human medical practitioner it will excite some sur- 
prise to learn, that cavities, so distinct as those of the thorax 
and abdomen, should be united in one common inflammation; 
a circumstance unusual in other affections of the trunk of the 
body. But, in the dissection of rabid subjects, such is inva- 
riably the case. In those instances where there have been 
much restlessness, panting, and irritability, with continued 
howling or barking, the lungs are usually very much in- 
flamed ; but the stomach and bowels not equally so. Some- 
times one side of the chest is most affected, in others both are 
equally so ; but the inflammation in some part of the cavity 
is always, in these cases, considerable. When also the animal 
is allowed to die by the force of the complaint, and is not 
prematurely destroyed, the lobes will be found actually black 
and gangrenous. 

But, when the disease has been attended with symptoms of 
less irritability, when the paralysis has been more considerable, 
and when an early tendency has been observed to gnaw 
boards, &c, take up trash, and to eat indigestible substances, 
then the stomach and bowels, particularly the former, will be 
found highly inflamed ; but the lungs probably much less so. 
In these cases, distinguished among sportsmen by the term of 



120 MADNESS. 

dumb madness, when the paralysis extends to the jaws and 
tongue, and when a deep choaking noise is heard in the 
throat, the stomach and bowels will also be found very highly 
inflamed ; but the latter rather the most of the two. The 
intestines will more certainly be found the principal seat of 
the complaint also, when the disposition to dig and to scrape 
straw or other articles under the belly has been observed ; 
and likewise when there has been an extraordinary degree of 
paralysis of the hinder parts. 

This inflammation of the stomach and bowels is truly of a 
specific kind, and produces symptoms very different from 
idiopathic inflammation of these organs. The sickness which 
usually characterises gastritis and enteritis, is not observed 
here. It is true there is very usually some sickness present 
early in the disease ; but it is very seldom violent, nor does it 
usually continue through the complaint. In the true gastritis, 
the distress, on receiving any thing within the stomach, is very 
great ; but in this specific affection, on the contrary, there is, 
instead of ejection, a very peculiar tendency, unknown in any 
other disease, to take into the stomach substances of the most 
extraordinary nature, such as hay, hair, rope, matting, wood, 
coals, and, in fact, any thing that can be got at and swallowed. 
This disposition is almost invariable to every variety of the 
malady, and sometimes exists from the very first attack of the 
complaint ; but in other cases only comes on the fourth or 
fifth day. These substances may, at the first, be thrown up 
again ; but, strange as it is, as the disease advances, and the 
inflammation becomes more violent, they become retained ; 
and it almost invariably happens, that a rabid stomach is 
found, after death, nearly filled with a mass of indigestible 
matter, composed of some one or more of the substances I 
have mentioned. 

In describing the criteria of the disease, I have purposely 
omitted before enlarging on this particular, that I might here 
do it more fully, and that I might at once describe cause and 



MADNESS. 121 

effect : but I must uow remark, that, of all the characteristic 
marks of the complaint, I consider this as the most genuine, 
and as the one liable to the least variation. I will not say that 
I never saw a rabid stomach, after death, without this crude 
indigestible mass ; but, during the examination of more than 
two hundred cases, 1 do not recollect to have met with more 
than two or three without it ; and in those, the nonappearance 
was, perhaps, to be attributed to a fit of nausea or some other 
occasional cause. This genuine characteristic cannot, there- 
fore, be too strongly kept in mind, because it is one that may 
be sought for by one person as well as another ; by the most 
uninformed ; and by the amateur as well as the professional 
man. It is also more important, because it may be found long 
after death, when the other marks have become blended in 
the universal decomposition and decay of the body. I cannot 
exemplify this better, than by relating a circumstance of my 
being sent for, to a considerable distance in the country, to 
examine a suspected dog, who had been already buried three 
weeks, but was now dug up for my inspection. All other 
marks to be gained from the morbid anatomy had, of course, 
disappeared ; and I must have been left in doubt (for the dog 
had come some distance, had accidentally bitten a child who 
was caressing him, and was in consequence killed on the spot; 
nothing, therefore, of his history was known), had it not been 
for this unfailing criterion, which I found to exist, in this in- 
stance, in its full force, and from which I was led, without 
fear of error, to decide that the dog had been rabid. 

The mass that is found within the stomach is sometimes not 
very great, but it is commonly considerable ; sometimes it is 
enormous. It is also mixed and composed of matters wholly 
unfit to be eaten, and of a nature that nothing could induce a 
dog to swallow them but a peculiar morbid sensation in the 
stomach, utterly unusual with other affections of this organ. 
Puppies may, in play, swallow a small quantity of matters 
around them ; but these are always taken in small quantities, 



122 MADNESS. 

and are always either soon thrown up or digested. But iir 
these cases the quantity is commonly considerable, and the 
composition most incongruous; and although, in the early 
stages, it may be thrown up ; or although, during an early 
period of the disease, the dog may even eat and digest ; yet, 
towards the close of it, the very peculiar sensation, produced 
by the specific inflammation of the stomach, generates this 
disposition to take in a quantity of anomalous and indigestible 
trash, which remains there till death. 

The stomach of the rabid dog, when this indigestible mass 
is emptied out, presents marks of very intense inflammation, 
both within and without. The whole of the underline, or the 
great curvature, is, in general, more particularly affected, 
sometimes in spots, sometimes in lines : and I have observed 
that the rugae are, commonly, more discoloured than the inter- 
vening portions. In some cases, this part of the stomach has 
been completely gangrenous. 

The degrees of inflammation between the stomach and 
bowels are not always correspondent ; but when the stomach 
is affected, the intestines are never wholly free, and vice versa. 
The inflammatory appearances, found on the intestines, are 
exactly similar to those observed on the stomach ; and they 
exist both within and without. Sometimes one intestine and 
sometimes another is the most highly inflamed ; but, in gene- 
ral, the diseased marks are diffused and extensive. The 
mesentery is usually overcharged with blood, and the dia- 
phragm and liver partake in the common affections often. 

The inflammation, however, of the mesentery, diaphragm, 
and liver, I conceive, arises only from a sympathetic influence* 
and partakes not of the specific character; for I think there 
is no reason to doubt, but that the true character of rabies 
consists in a specific inflammation of the lungs, stomach, and 
bowels ; and that, in every instance that occurs, these organs 
are always affected, although in different degrees. I have, 
now and then, seen the inflammation of the intestines very 



MADNESS. 123 

slight ; but it is very seldom that this is the case ; and it is 
even still more rare for the affection of the stomach to be so 
moderate. But I have always found that, when one of these 
has been less affected, the other has been more so : and it is 
equally common, that when neither of these are intensely in- 
flamed, that the lungs are then the principal sufferers ; under 
which circumstances, as before observed, the complaint as- 
sumed, while the animal lived, a more active type ; having 
panting, irritability, and a desire to rove, with a more mis- 
chievous tendency than is usual with the other varieties. 

On the contrary, when the morbid appearances are princi- 
pally confined to the bowels, such cases have always, during 
life, exhibited distress, paralysis, with all those marks we 
have meutioned, as appertaining to what is distinguished by 
sportsmen by dumb madness. 

The bodies of those dogs, who die of this disease, soon 
become putrid ; but there is no peculiarity of smell attends 
them : neither are they so offensive as I have often witnessed 
iu other cases of inflamed bowels, particularly of that kind 
produced by mineral poisons. I have frequently offered to 
a healthy dog various parts of the body of rabid dogs, but I 
could never distinguish any marks of dread or disgust. I am, 
therefore, convinced that, living or dead, there is nothing in 
the smell that characterises rabies from one to the other, as 
has been so often alledged, among the other vulgar errors en- 
tertained. 

The rabid malady is, I believe, in every case fatal. I never 
met with an instance to the contrary, nor did I ever hear of 
an authenticated one. I have carefully tried every remedy 
that has ever been mentioned on any respectable authority, as 
well as numerous others on my own suggestion ; but all with 
equal want of success. The active mineral preparations ; the 
narcotic tribe ; stimulants; tonics, and sedatives ; I have given 
them all in turn ; but the only means, that seemed at all to 
arrest the complaint, were profuse bleeding, as it has been 



124 MADNESS. 

practised on the human subject in America. In a few cases, 
where bleeding was carried to a large extent, it certainly ap- 
peared to give a considerable check to the disease ; but the 
benefit was not permanent in any one of the instances. The 
particulars of some of these cases are already before the public 
in the Medical Journal *. 

Having brought this subject thus far, I may remafk, that 
by some I shall be considered as having been already infinitely 
too prolix and minute. At the same time I shall probably 
have barely satisfied the eager curiosity of others on this in- 
teresting topic ; the importance of which can only be duly 
estimated by considering, that not only is the welfare of a 
valuable animal concerned, but that the safety of many human 
beings is also implicated. 

In many points of view, the necessity of forming a just judg- 
ment of this malady is very great, for upon it the peace of 
mind of thousands depends. I have witnessed the most dread- 
ful effects from the impressions of fear needlessly entertained 
on this subject. In these unhappy cases, it has been in vain 
to oppose reason to prejudice. The errors by which they 
were occasioned have been long received, and can only be 
combated when the mind is personally unimpressed with an 
immediate sense of danger. 

It has, therefore, been my anxious endeavour to set the 
facts, relative to the rabid malady, in their true light ; by 
which most of the false impressions, and much of the dread 
which exists relative to it, may be dissipated. It is incon- 
ceivable how extensive is this dread, and to what an extent it 
is carried in the miuds of many : so much does it influence 
some persons, that the whole race of dogs is feared and hated 
by them solely on this account. There are others again who, 



* An account has somewhere appeared of the hydrophobia having been 
cured, in Germany, by very large doses of vinegar j but I am not aware on 
what authority it rests. 



MADNESS. 125 

though fond of these animals, yet dare not indulge themselves 
in the pleasures of their association, from the fear of some 
future attack. 

But surely much of this fear may be proved unnecessary ; 
indeed all apprehension should vanish, when it is known, that 
no dog can become mad from fright, pain, or anger ; nor will 
any illness degenerate into it. Nothing but the actual bite of 
another dog, in a rabid state, can produce it. Of this, I be- 
lieve, no possible doubt can reasonably exist. 

And even when a dog may be suspected to have been endan- 
gered, or when the chance is entertained that he may, at some 
future time, become so, unknown to his owner ; still there is 
no necessity for dread. So little danger is there from the 
first stage of the complaint, that I should not at all object to 
living in the same room with half a dozen dogs, all duly ino- 
culated with rabid virus. The slightest degree of attention 
will always detect some peculiarity in the affected dog's man- 
ner — some departure from his usual habits : and this may be 
observed one day at least, commonly two days, before the 
more active symptoms commence, or before the most mis- 
chievous cases shew themselves in a dangerous point of view. 

But, in a great number of the cases that occur, no mischievous 
disposition at all towards human persons appears through the 
whole complaint, except it is called forth by opposition and 
violence ; which consideration tends to reduce the danger still 
more materially. 

It ought likewise in no small degree to lessen the dread and 
fear of this malady, that, even when the worst has happened, 
and a human person has been unfortunately bitten by a rabid 
animal ; still that a ready, simple, and efficacious remedy is at 
hand, the application of which is attended with little incon- 
venience, while the consequences are certainly productive of 
all the safety that can be wished for. 

Fortunately for suffering humanity, the extirpation of the 
bitten part, when properly performed (which in almost every 



126 MADNESS. 

instance is sufficiently easy), bas never yet been known to 
fail. On this subject I shall again have occasion to remark. 
At present I shall proceed to state, that the same means are 
equally productive of safety to every animal, provided the 
inoculated parts can be discovered : but as, unfortunately, 
this cannot always be done, this preventive loses, therefore, 
much of its certainty with regard to them. 

1 have had so many opportunities of witnessing this uncer- 
tainty, and of feeling, therefore, the want of some internal 
preventive, that could be at all depended on, against the effects 
of a rabid inoculation ; that I was, very early in my profes- 
sional career, much interested with regard to every thing that 
was reported to have any efficacy of this kind. Having had 
the benefit of a regular medical education, I was, in common 
with the rest of my brethren, not likely to be very credulous 
with regard to the virtues of any nostrum: but, on the other 
hand, I was determined to give every thing a fair and liberal 
trial. The result has exceeded my expectation ; but I dare 
say that 1 shall not easily impress the medical world with an 
equal degree of faith with that I feel myself; so difficult is it 
to overcome the prejudices of education. 

Early in life, I had many opportunities of witnessing the 
total inefficacy of salt water bathing, of the Ormskirk powder, 
and of various other supposed antidotes to the rabid malady. 
Impressed, therefore, with a conviction that these were useless, 
and being but too fully aware that the certain human preven- 
tive (extirpation) is not always applicable to the brute ; some- 
thing further was to be looked for. The uncertainty of the 
means made use of as a preventive ft) the human subject, arises 
from the difficulty of finding all the bitten parts ; for, search 
a dog over, who has been exposed to danger, never so accu- 
rately, and you cannot oftentimes discover the smallest mark 
of bite ; but some weeks after, the rabid attack too clearly 
evinces the fatal truth. 

A preventive is also even more necessary, in some points of 



MADNESS. 127 

view, for the brute than for the human subject ; for, out of 
twenty human persons bitten, perhaps not more than one or 
two would become affected. But, out of the same number of 
dogs bitten, it is probable that more than half would receive 
the infection. 

For some years I had been informed that there lived, near 
Watford, a cottager of the name of Webb, who dispensed 
what is commouly called a drink, as a preventive of rabies as 
well as of hydrophobia. The many testimonies I had received 
from gentlemen, relative to its efficacy, gave me reason to sup- 
pose that it really possessed some preventive properties : but, 
till the year 1807, I had not embraced any opportunity of 
putting its qualities to the test of experiment. About that 
time rabies proved very prevalent, and the public curiosity 
became very much excited on the subject. Independent of the 
general interest, I felt for others, I had reason also to be in 
some measure anxious on my own account ; for I was unfor- 
tunately, about this time, bitten by a dog unquestionably 
rabid. The part was immediately cauterized, and although I 
had, therefore, little to fear for myself, yet my attention was 
awakened by the circumstance more fully, to the advantage 
of such a preventive, not only for the brute, but also for the 
human in some cases ; such as extensive laceration, where a 
complete extirpation might be rendered doubtful; or where, 
from the depth of the wound, its situation, or other circum- 
stances, the application of the knife or actual cautery might 
not be advisable. 

To endeavour, therefore, to ascertain the grounds on which 
the reputation of this remedy stood, I went to Watford, and 
prosecuted my inquiries with such success ; that, from one of 
the two brothers who had dispensed it, I gained the original 
receipt, which had been before verified on oath before a 
magistrate. I immediately presented the public with the com- 
position, with all I had learned relative to it, through the 
medium of the Medical Review for December 1807, where 

N 



1<28 MADNESS. 

the original recipe, and mode of preparation, may be seen at 
length. The following, which is an improvement on the ori- 
ginal formula, is that which, after much experiment, I find the 
best method of preparing the remedy : — 

Take of the fresh leaves of the tree box 2 ounces 

Of the fresh leaves of rue 2 ounces 

Of sage half an ounce. 

Chop these finely, and, after boiling them in a pint of water 
to half a pint, strain and press out the liquor. Beat them in a 
mortar, or otherwise bruise them thoroughly, and boil them 
again, in a pint of new milk, to half a pint, which press out as 
before. After this, mix both the boiled liquors, which will 
form three doses for a human subject. Double this quantity 
is proper for a horse or cow ; two-thirds of it is sufficient for a 
large dog, calf, sheep, or hog; half of the quantity is required 
for a middling sized dog ; and one-third for a small one. 
These three doses are said to be sufficient, and are directed to 
be given, one of them every morning fasting. Both the human 
and brute subjects are treated in the same manner, according 
to the proportions directed. 

In the human subject I have never found it produce any 
effects whatever but a momentary nausea from disgust. To 
prevent this disgust operating disadvantageous^, the old re- 
cipe directs it to be given two or three hours before rising, 
which is not a bad plan, because it will be less likely to be 
brought up again by such precaution, which so large and un- 
pleasant a dose might otherwise be. Neither in any animal, 
except the dog, have I ever witnessed any violent effects from 
the exhibition of this remedy. In dogs, however, I have fre- 
quently seen it produce extreme nausea, panting, and distress ; 
in two or three it has even proved fatal: but, as I conceive 
that it is more likely to be efficacious, when it shews its effects 
on the constitution ; and as, at the same time, it is proper to 
guard against these effects being too violent : so it is prudent 
'always to begin with a smaller dose than the one prescribed, 



MADNESS. ]29 

and to increase it each morning till it shews its activity, by 
sickness of the stomach, panting, and evident uneasiness. la 
such cases, perhaps five doses are not too much. 

In a long and successful practice, I have given this remedy 
to nearly three hundred living beings. About fifty human 
persons have taken it, eight or nine horses, several sheep, and 
a few cows and hogs. The rest were dogs ; but in almost all 
I was enabled to trace the history of the danger, to a convic- 
tion, that the animal concerned had been bitten by a dog uu- 
questionably mad. Out of this number, I am happy to state, 
and which I conscientiously and solemnly do, that only nine 
or ten instances of failure have occurred : but candour obliges 
me to own that four or five of these were palpable and fair 
cases ; for the medicine was given apparently with every cau- 
tion *. In four of the cases of failure among dogs, all were 
bitten in the head ; and, from what I have seen in many other 
instances, I believe that the inoculation more certainly takes 
effect, and the disease appears in a less time, when re- 
ceived in the head, than elsewhere. A horse, which was 
among the failures, was also bitten in the lip as well as in 
other parts. Out of the number of human persons who tried 
this remedy, I believe not more than three or four of them 



* It is very unfortunate that this remedy should be so bulky, and so nau- 
seous. Its bulk renders it very difficult to give to a dog, particularly without 
waste ; and, its being so nauseous, makes it very liable to be brought up 
again: either of which circumstances must, of course, render its efficacy 
doubtful. To obviate these inconveniences, I have endeavoured to condense 
the dose, by making an extract of the box, in which 1 believe the efficacy 
consists. But I have every reason to believe, that its preventive quality is 
lessened, if not destroyed, by these means. Nor have I succeeded in any 
other attempts at lessening the dose. These inconveniences must, therefore, 
be put up with, and, as much as may be, obviated, by taking every care to 
give the animal the whole ; and great attention must be also paid, to watch 
that it is not brought up again. If such should be the case, the dose must 
He repeated till it remains. 

N 2 



130 MADNESS. 

trusted to its preventive powers alone : in all the rest I ap- 
plied either the cautery or the knife, to the complete extirpa- 
tion of the parts bitten. Those who trusted solely to this in- 
ternal preventive, did it at their own express desire, from their 
dread of the other and more established means of relief; for I 
am free to confess, that I think this remedy ought to be much 
more certainly established in its reputation, before any human 
being should be allowed to depend upon it alone. It is, how- 
ever, a matter worthy of attentive research ; and it is clear that 
decisive proofs of its efficacy can only be established on brutes ; 
for, as before remarked, in them the disease is much more 
certain of following the inoculation than in the human sub- 
ject. 

I have now brought this important subject to a close, as far 
at least as it relates to the rabid malady among brutes : but, 
although I shall probably be considered as travelling out of 
the record, 1 cannot altogether conclude without introducing 
a few remarks, with regard to the same matter in the human, 
which are the result of long experience and much research. 
The knowledge that I had paid a particular attention to this 
subject, and the connection that naturally occurred, betweeu 
being first consulted on the rabid dog, and then on the bitten 
person, has tended to bring under my observation and direc- 
tion, a much greater number of persons bitten by rabid dogs 
than has fallen to the lot of the most eminent surgeon of this 
metropolis. Neither has hardly any case of notoriety occurred 
in the practice of others, on which I have not been also con- 
sulted. Of those, who immediately trusted themselves to my 
direction, I have operated on more than fifty ; all of whom 
remain alive and well. 

This extensive experience, united with an attentive inquiry 
into all the subjects connected with it, have enabled me to 
clear up some doubts that have existed for a long time. 
Having submitted all I advance to the test of a long acquaint- 
ance and minute examination, I am not in the least dread of 



MADNESS. 131 

committing myself by the subsequent statements ; among which 
the following consolatory fact stands foremost, and may be 
most implicitly relied on. 

It is very generally considered, that the destruction of the 
bitten part is the most certain preventive of hydrophobia ; but 
it is little credited, that it is of no consequence that the exci- 
sion, or the cauterization, of the wounded part should be imme- 
diately effected. Nevertheless, I firmly believe (and indeed am 
as certain of it as I can be of such a matter), that the opera- 
tion may be performed, with equal certainty of success, at 
any time previous to the secondary inflammation of the part 
bitten, as though it had been done the first moment after 
the accident. However, as it is always uncertain at what 
time this secondary inflammation may take place, so it is 
always prudent to perform the excision, or cauterization, as 
soon as is convenient : but it is frequently a matter of immense 
momeut to the peace of those, unfortunately wounded in this 
manner, to know that, when any accidental cause has delayed 
the operation, that it may be as safely done at the end of one, 
two, or three weeks as at the first. I have frequently removed 
the bitten parts many days after the original wound has been 
perfectly healed up, and the operation has always proved com- 
pletely successful. 

The truth of this important fact has been demonstrated, 
not only in my own practice, but in that also of several 
others. As, therefore, it has such a body of testimony in its 
favour, and as not one instance is on record to the contrary, so 
it may be regarded as indubitable; and the knowledge that it is 
so, cannot be too widely diffused. It is more particularly 
necessary likewise that it should be generally made known, 
inasmuch as many medical persons have hitherto thought dif- 
ferently ; and it is, unfortunately, among other persons the 
ommonly received opinion, that immediate extirpation is alone 
a guarantee against the dreadful effects of the rabid virus. 

On the absorption of poisons, numerous opinions prevail. 



IS2 MADNESS. 

With regard to this particular poison, I have long considered 
that the safety of the operation does not consist in preventing 
immediate absorption, and therefore it is of no consequence 
whether performed immediately or not. But, on the con- 
trary, I am firmly of opinion, that the poison is absorbed 
directly the wound is inflicted, and is immediately carried 
into the circulation. I am, however, persuaded that, in this 
primary state of its circulation, the virus can never produoe 
rabies in brutes, or hydrophobia in man. It is, on the con- 
trary, absolutely necessary, before it fully exerts its baneful 
influence, that it should undergo some further change. It 
must return to the part it was originally received by, and it 
must there occasion a new inflammation, probably a specific 
one. It is the absorption of some active matter, generated by 
this secondary inflammation, that is alone capable of pro- 
ducing rabies or hydrophobia. Consequently, when the part, 
that was originally bitten, has been removed, either by cauteri- 
zation or excision, no secondary inflammation can take place. 
The first received virus remains inert, for it is incapable of 
acting on any other than the original wound. 

That such is the case seems beyond a doubt, when we con- 
sider that in every instance on record, both in the human and 
brute, a very active inflammation always occurs in the part 
originally wounded ; and this always prior to the other symp- 
toms of the malady. I am aware that I may, perhaps, lay myself 
open to animadversion and criticism by these remarks ; but, 
whatever may be offered against the theory, the facts cannot* 
I am persuaded, be disputed ; and the establishment of them 
is my principal aim, for the benefit of suffering humanity. 

oooceo 

Mange. 

Dogs are not subject to a great number of diseases of the 
skin ; but the prevalence of what is called mange among the 



MANGE. 133 

whole race, amply compensates for the deficiency. This dis- 
ease has been compared to itch in the human, and not without 
justice ; as, if I ttm not greatly mistaken, the canine mange is 
capable of producing the human itch : but, whether the itch 
can be given to dogs, I am not able to say, although from ana- 
logy I see no reason why it should not. 

The canine mange is a chronic inflammation of the skin, 
dependent, in some instances, on a morbid action of the con- 
stitution : in others, it is the effect of infectious communica- 
tion. It is not, however, so infectious as is supposed ; for, I 
have known dogs to sleep with others troubled with it for som^ 
time, without becoming mangy ; but, in other instances, the 
predisposition to it is such, that almost simple and momentary 
contact will produce it. That mange, which is the effect of 
infection, is more readily given to another than that which is 
generated. 

Mange is also hereditary. A bitch, lined by a mangy dog, 
is very liable to produce mangy puppies ; but the progeny of 
a mangy bitch is certain to become affected sooner or later. 
I have seen puppies covered with it when a few days old. 

The morbid constitutional action, by which mange is gene- 
rated, is excited in various ways, and by various causes. If a 
number of dogs are confined together, the acrid effluvia of 
their transpiration and urine soon begets a most virulent 
mange, very difficult to be removed. If a dog is fed on salt 
provision, it is likewise a sure parent of the disease : thus 
dogs, who have come from distant countries, on board of 
ships, are generally affected with mange. Poor living, united 
with cold and filth, will also produce it. It is also a little 
curious, that the reverse is even more certain to bring it on ; 
thus too full feeding, with a heated situation, are almost cer- 
tain forerunners of the complaint. In both, the balance be- 
tween the skin and internal circulation is not preserved, and 
the disease follows as a necessary consequence. 



134 MANGE. 

The mange has some permanent and fixed varieties ; it has 
also some anomalies. One of the most common forms under 
which it appears is by a scabby eruption, which breaks out 
on various parts of the body : it is often confined to the back : 
in other cases it extends to the arms, thighs, and joints. These 
eruptions are first pustular ; but in some cases they are simple 
cracks of the skin, which, exuding a serous discharge, con- 
crete into a scab. 

Another very common form is called the red mange, from 
the red inflammatory colour of the skin present in the disease. 
In this variety there is less pustular eruption, but nearly the 
whole skin of the body, particularly in white haired dogs, is 
in a state of active inflammation : it is also hot to the feel, 
and itches intolerably. In this kind of mange the hair is 
often specifically affected, and becomes altered in its colour, 
particularly about the extremities. It also falls off", and leaves 
the body almost bare. The strong coarse kind, called wire 
hair, is peculiarly liable to suffer this discolouration. 

Another form of mange, but much less frequent than either 
of the former, shews itself by an affection of the sebaceous 
glands, in which these parts appear to be internally ulcerated 
with a smaller outlet. The affection seldom shews itself uni- 
versally, but partially, over the face, around the joints, and in 
patches over the rest of the body. The affected parts are 
tumid, shining, and look spongy ; from the little openings of 
which, a moisture between mucus and pus, issues. I have 
never seen this affection but in the larger breeds of dogs ; 
and usually, I think, in pointers and setters. 

A fourth appearance mange frequently assumes is that 
which is called by sportsmen a surfeit. It appears, in many 
cases, the consequence of an active inflammatory state of the 
constitution, and then puts on something of an acute form. 
Thus bitches after pupping, and dogs newly recovered from 
distemper, are often attacked with it: other irritating causes 



MANGE. 135 

may also produce it. When a dog travels during a great part 
of a very hot day, and becomes afterwards exposed to cold, 
a surfeit is sometimes the consequence. Or sometimes, after 
other inflammatory attacks, suddenly an eruption appears, 
accompanied with great heat and redness. It usually is seen 
in the form of blotches, and but seldom extends universally 
over the body. In some cases there is little appearance of 
scab, but large rough patches shew themselves, from which 
the hair falls, and leaves the skin bare, except a branny scaly 
eruption, which itches with more or less violence. Some 
sportsmen think surfeits occasioned by giving the dog's vic- 
tuals too hot. Salt provisions, I know, will occasion it; and 
long-continued feeding on oatmeal and barley meal will also 
bring it on. 

The Anomalies of mange are several. Canker within the ear, 
and that without also, are affections whose origins are mangy. 
Inflamed scrotum and ulcerated claws are of this class, as 
well as ulcerated eyelids also. The general treatment of 
all these must be the same ; the immediate applications pro- 
per, are detailed under the several heads. 

An acute mange also now and then appears. In these cases 
a violent febrile affection attacks the animal ; he pants, and 
is very restless. Some part of the body soon begins to swell, 
usually the head, which, the second or third day, gives place 
to ulceration of the nose, eyelids, lips, and ears. This ulcera- 
tion proves superficial, but extensive ; and continues a longer 
or a shorter period, as the treatment is more or less judicious. 
Bleeding, aperients, and febrifuges, form the constitutional 
remedies. The topical ones are tepid fomentations the first 
two days ; and, when the tumefaction has given place to ulcer- 
ation, the application of a cooling unguent of sugar of lead, 
with spermaceti ointment. What remains of the affection, in 
a week or ten days' time, may be treated as common mange. 
Mange is universally considered as troublesome and loath . 



136 MANGE. 

some, but it is not generally considered as otherwise hurtful. 
It will, perhaps, excite some surprise therefore, when I affirm, 
that it is not only very hurtful, but very often fatal also. 
When long continued, it is very apt to end in dropsy. In 
some cases it diseases the mesenteries, and the animals die 
tabid; and in no instance can it be neglected with impunity. 
In sporting dogs, its existence greatly unfits them for their 
various uses. It vitiates their scent, and lessens their wind 
and strength ; and, as before hinted at, I do not think dogs 
healthy companions for their owners, when much affected with 
this complaint. 

Treatment of Mange. — Whatever similarity may exist be- 
tween this complaint and the human itch in other respects, a 
very great difference is observed between the obstinacy of 
the one, and the ease with which the other is cured. Medical 
practitioners among the human, consider the itch as local ; but 
veterinarians, to their vexation, will find mange constitutional : 
too often very deeply rooted also. Like the human itch, it is 
best cured by remedies that excite absorption ; and the grand 
remedy of the one is also the general application for the other, 
which is sulphur : but, as mange exhibits greater varieties, 
and is altogether more difficult of cure, it is seldom that we 
can trust to this alone for that end. The following formulae 
are adapted for theirs* described form of mange : — 

No. 1.— Powdered sulphur, yellow or black 4 ounces 

Sal ammoniac, crude, powdered half an ounce 

Aloes, powdered 1 dram 

Venice turpentine half an ounce 

Lard, or other fatty matter 6 ounces.— Mix. 

Or, 

No. 2.— Tobacco in powder half an ounce 

White hellebore in powder half an ounce 

Sulphur in powder 4 ounces 

Aloes in powder 2 drams 

Lard, or other fatty matter 6 ounces. 



MANGE. 



157 



Or, 

No. 3.*— Powdered charcoal 2 ounces 

Sulphur, powdered 4 ounces 

Potash » 1 dram 

Lard, &c 6 ounces 

Venice turpentine half an ounce. 

Or, 

No. 4.— -Oil of vitriol 1 dram 

Lard 6 ounces 

Tar 2 ounces 

Powdered lime , 1 ounce. 

Or, 

No. 5.— -Decoction of tobacco 3 ounces 

Decoction of white hellebore 3 ounces 

Corrosive sublimate 5 grains. 

Dissolve the corrosive sublimate in the decoctions, which 
should be of a moderate strength : when dissolved, add two 
drams of powdered aloes, to render the mixture nauseous, and 
prevent its being licked off, which should be very carefully 
guarded against. 
The formulae for red mange are as follow : — 

No. 6.— Of either of the ointments already prescribed, 1, 2, or 3 ... 6 ounces 

Mercurial ointment, mild 1 ounce. 

Mix. 
Or, 

No. 7.— Powdered charcoal 1 ounce 

Prepared chalk ...«. 1 ounce 

Sugar of lead 1 dram 

White precipitate 2 drams 

Sulphur « 2 ounces 

Lard 5 ounces.— Mix. 

In some cases, the mange ointment, No. 4, alternated with 
No. 6, one being used one day, and the other the next, will 
be found beneficial. In others, benefit has been derived from 
the wash, No. 5, united with lime water. In slight cases of 
red mange, the following has been found singularly suc- 
cessful : — 



138 MANGE. 

No. 8.— Corrosive sublimate, powdered 6 grains 

Liver of sulphur half an ounce 

Lime water 6 ounces.— Mix. 

The third variety requires a considerable difference in the 
treatment. When the little spongy openings, piercing the 
cellular tissue, will admit of it, they should be injected by 
means of a very minute syringe, with the wash No. 8. The 
general surface should also be anointed with the following : — 

No. 9.— -Ointment of nitrated quicksilver 2 drams 

Goulard ointment 1 ounce 

Washed flowers of sulphur half an ounce.— Mix. 

The fourth kind of mange, called surfeit, requires little 
variety in the treatment, except that bleeding, purging, with 
every other part of a cooling treatment, is here more parti- 
cularly necessary. With regard to the external applications, 
it should be remembered both in this, and all the other kinds 
of the disease, that, when the sores are very irritable, and 
much inflamed, it will be frequently essentially necessary to 
allay the heat and irritation in them before they will bear any 
of the regular mange applications. The best means of doing 
this will be by anointing them with the following a few 
days : — 

Sugar of lead 1 dram 

Spermaceti ointment 2 ounces. 

When the irritation is allayed, proceed with the ointment 
No. 3, or alternate this with No. 6. 

Besides the fixed varieties, before described, mange puts on 
different appearances in different subjects ; but they may be 
all referred eventually to one or other of these heads. Nu- 
merous domestic remedies are in use ; but, I believe, no one 
article acts so favourably as several united. It may, perhaps, 
not be too much to say, that the recipes already given will 
meet every variety. They are proved by long experience, 
and a successful practice. 

Tobacco water is often used for the cure of this complaint, 



MANGET. 139 

and, in very slight cases, frequently does some good ; but, 
unless used with extreme caution, it is a most dangerous re- 
medy, from the tendency all dogs have to lick themselves ; 
and when they do this with tobacco, the effects are often fatal. 
I have myself seen several poisoned by these means. Great 
caution is also requisite, for the same reasons, with all kinds 
of washes in which there is any thing active, as mercu- 
rials, &c. 

It is a common practice also, as a domestic remedy, to dip 
mangy dogs in the tanners' pits ; but it is a very filthy, and 
not often an efficacious, one, except in very slight cases : in 
such instances, an infusion of oak bark, with a little alum, 
would of course do as well. 

Having detailed the outward applications, it becomes ne- 
cessary to mention the internal ones that are required. When 
mange is generated, the constitution must be at fault to pro- 
duce it ; and, when it is caught, it will itself affect the consti- 
tution : so that in all, except very slight cases indeed, some 
internal remedies are requisite. In very full habits, and par- 
ticularly in red mange, bleeding is very proper. I have also, 
in some instances, experienced benefit from a seton placed in 
the neck as a counter drain. It is also very requisite to at- 
tend particularly to the food : whatever has been injudicious, 
both as to quantity and quality, should be altered. Frequently 
a total change in the manner and matter of feeding assists the 
cure very materially. — See the subject of Feeding. 

Purges, when regularly administered, often prove very use- 
ful ; for which purpose Epsom salts may be given, two or three 
times a week, in mild doses. But the most effectual internal 
remedy is a judicious use of alteratives. Red mange requires 
the aid of mercurial alteratives. Indeed, they assist in every 
variety of it, but thfs one can hardly be cured without. The 
following formula is a good one : — 

^thiops mineral 1 ounce 

Cream of tartar 1 ounce 

* Nitre 3 drams. \f 



140 MANGE. 

Divide into sixteen, twenty, or twenty-four doses, according to 
the size of the dog, and give one every morning or evening. 
Any of the other medicines of this class, mentioned under the 
head Alteratives, may be also used on these occasions. 

In desperate cases the following may be tried, after the 
others have proved unequal to the cure : — 

Oil of vitriol 10 drops 

Conserve of roses 1 ounce 

Flour of sulphur half an ounce. 

Divide into eight, twelve, or fifteen balls, according to the 
size of the dog, and give one every day. 

With regard to the external applications, they should, in 
most cases, be used every day. The mercurial ones require 
some caution, both to prevent the dog from licking them, 
and also to watch that salivation may not be occasioned by 
their use. When mercurial preparations are licked by dogs, 
they are apt to occasion violent and dangerous diarrhoea. 
Not only, therefore, should the licking be very carefully 
guarded against ; but, when any danger of this kind has oc- 
curred, a dose of castor oil should be immediately given ; and, 
after that, some astringent balls, with a small proportion of 
milk of sulphur in them. 

In the use of ointments, it is necessary to remark, that they 
are too apt to be smeared over the hair, without being applied 
to the skin. It requires, at least, two hours to dress a dog 
thoroughly. The hair should be parted almost hair by hair, 
and a small quantity of ointment should be rubbed actually on 
the skin, between the parted hairs, by means of the end of 
the finger. After every part is done, the hair may be smoothed 
down, and the dog will appear, when the operation has been 
neatly managed, as though nothing had been applied. After 
three or four dressings in this way, the dog may be washed 
with soft soap and water, and the ointment again applied till 
the cure is complete. In old and bad cases of mange, it will 
be frequently requisite to continue the treatment a very con- 



NECK, SWELLED. ...PALSY. 141 

siderable time, to ensure a perfect removal of the complaint. 
I once dressed a very favourite setter, who had had virulent 
mange five years, every day, or every other day, for twelve 
months, before I could completely conquer the disease : but 
this determined perseverance effected a permanent cure. 

eeooso 

Neck, sivelled. 

Young dogs are very liable to have a glandular swelliug 
at the front of the neck, or throat, immediately before the 
windpipe. This is treated on as Bronchocele. Another 
cause of swelling in the neck arises from cold, and is rheu- 
matic ; in which case the animal appears with his neck swel- 
led ; the parts are very stiff, and the head is often held to one 
side. There are likewise great pain and soreness, and the 
dog cries on being moved. — See Rheumatism. 

050050 

Paralysis, or Palsy. 

A loss of the motive power of the limbs is very common 
to dogs from a number of causes. Either partial or universal 
palsy is very usual in rabies. The loins and hinder extremi- 
ties are the parts in general affected ; sometimes the throat 
principally suffers, and now and then it is universal. In dis- 
temper it is very common for the dog to become palsied in 
his loins and hinder extremities: sometimes it affects the 
head also, and the fore extremities. Now and then it con- 
tinues through life. In very bad cases, all the muscles of the 
body become affected with a spasmodic affection, very similar 
to St. Vitus's dance in the human, and which often ends in com- 
plete paralysis. Accidents may also occasion paralysis, aa 
blows, crushing of carriage wheels, &c. But as frequent a 
canse as any of canine paralysis, is rheumatism ; — which see. 



142 PARALYSIS, OR PALSY. ...PHYSIC. 

It is evident that the treatment must vary according to the 
cause producing the affection. General warmth, with sti- 
mulating applications to the immediate parts, forms the out- 
line of the treatment proper for most cases. Sometimes the 
cold bath, however, proves most efficacious ; but still, during 
the intervening time, the body should be kept warm. As a 
general remedy, an extensive pitch plaster is a very good one. 
Blisters and electricity are sometimes useful. For accidental 
injuries, a seton opposite the injured part is proper. 

coooeo 

Physic. 

On many occasions, purging medicines are very proper 
and useful to dogs. In sickness, by purging we frequently 
restore health ; and, in health, by the same means we often 
ensure its continuance. Costiveness is very prevalent among 
dogs, particularly among those who have little exercise, and 
are fed wholly on flesh. If neglected, it not unfrequently 
degenerates into absolute and obstinate constipation; and 
many dogs are destroyed by it. In such cases, a proper pur- 
gative, given in time, would prevent these consequences. 
Fits frequently arise from a costive habit, and the want of 
proper physic. Worms are also frequently removed by pur- 
gatives. Without physic, dogs cannot readily be got into 
hunting condition : when judiciously managed, it increases 
their wind, vigour, and durability. 

Many things may be given as physic to dogs. For small 
weakly ones, the safest purgative is castor oil ; but sometimes 
the stomach refuses to retain it. Another liquid purgative is 
syrup of buckthorn, which agrees with some dogs very well. 
Jalap is not a bad purgative to some dogs ; others it operates 
little on. Senna I have no experience of. Gamboge is too 
violent. Calomel is an excellent auxiliary to other purga- 
tives; but alone, it frequently proves more emetic than pur- 






PILES. 14$ 

gative ; and a dose sufficient to purge, when given alone, will 
sometimes either inflame the stomach and bowels, or it will 
salivate. Aloes, therefore, proves the most unexceptionable 
and convenient drug for purging of dogs ; but an infinitely 
greater quantity is necessary for this purpose than is required 
by a human person. Half a dram of aloes may be considered 
as a dose for a small dog ; a large dog will take from two to 
three drams. To quicken its action, or in cases of worms, or 
as a cleanser, from two to six grains of calomel may be added. 

©©©©©© 

Piles. 

Dogs are very subject to piles, but the symptoms, by 
which the complaint shews itself, are by no means known as 
such, although they are not very dissimilar to the human 
haemorrhoids. Piles are brought on by confinement, heat, 
and heating food ; and shew themselves by a sore red pro- 
truded anus, which the dog aggravates by dragging it on the 
floor. 

Piles are frequently the effect of costiveness. Diarrhoea 
will also often occasion tenesmus, which may readily be mis- 
taken for piles, the anus appearing red and sore. In such a 
case, to effect a cure the looseness must be restrained, and 
the sore anus may be anointed with the ointment directed 
below, omitting the tar. 

The habitual piles will be greatly relieved by the use of the 
following ointment : — 

Take sugar of lead 6 grains 

Tar half a dram 

Elder ointment, or fine lard 3 drams. 

Mix, and anoint the fundament with it two or three times 
a-day. To keep down the habit towards the disease, feed 
moderately op cooling food, exercise sufficiently, and, as long 

o 



144 poisons. 

as the disposition to it is considerable, give daily one of the 
following powders : — 

Nitre, powdered half a dram. 

Milk of sulphur 3 drams. 

Divide into nine, twelve, or fifteen doses. 



Poisons. 

Dogs are very frequently poisoned by design or accident, 
generally with either arsenic, corrosive sublimate, white lead, 
or crowfig. When arsenic or corrosive sublimate has been 
given, the effects soon shew themselves, by incessant vomiting, 
with unquenchable thirst, great distress, and pain ; the animal 
hiding himself, and seeking a cool retreat. These active 
poisons soon affect the bowels also, which become violently 
purged : the latter stools are commonly bloody ; great pro- 
stration of strength follows; the extremities become cold, and 
death closes the scene. 

It would often be very satisfactory to ascertain those cases 
in which poison has been administered, from those in which 
inflammation followed from other causes. It may be remarked, 
that the inflammation brought ou by either of these mineral 
poisons is much more rapid in its progress, and produces more 
pain and distress, than inflammations from other causes. 

In these cases, after death, the stomach, on being opened, 
will appear with partial spots of inflammation on it ; and the 
villous folds of its inner surface will exhibit gangrenous and 
ulcerated spots. The intestines will also be found more highly 
inflamed on the inner than on the outer surface, With similar 
gangrenous specks to those of the stomach ; an appearance 
not often observed in other inflammations. The bowels also 
will be filled with a thick bloody mucus. But, as an absolute 
depeudance cannot be placed on these appearances ; whenever 



poisons. 145 

it is determined more satisfactorily to ascertain the matter ; 
some of the contents of the stomach and bowels should be 
saved, and should undergo an analysis by an experienced 
chemist, who, provided the smallest remains of the poison are 
present, will be able to detect them. 

When paint is left carelessly exposed, dogs will sometimes 
lick it, and injure themselves. When there is lead in the paint, 
the effects produced are stupidity, dislike to food, and irre- 
gular pains in the bowels, which make the dog scream out by 
fits and starts : there is generally costiveness also. After 
death, in such cases, a slighter degree of inflammation appears ; 
some, however, is always present, particularly of the bowels, 
and the inflamed parts appear in patches, but not in ulcerated 
spots, as when arsenic or corrosive sublimate has been given ; 
nor are the appearances of gangrene so considerable. 

A very common poison also is the nux vomica, or vegetable 
called crowjig, which produces its deleterious effects, by 
robbing the nervous system of all its energy in a few minutes. 
In a case of madness, I destroyed a very strong Newfoundland 
dog, in five minutes and a half, by a dram of this substance ; 
and where it is necessary, from peculiar circumstances, to de- 
stroy a dog, this forms one of the best means. Dissection 
cannot detect this poison with any certainty ; and, unless an 
emetic is given within a minute or two after the poison has 
been taken (provided the dose has been a full one), no benefit 
can arise from any medicine. The crowfig, however, proves 
very irregular in its action. Some dogs are hardly affected by 
it, while others are destroyed by a slight dose. A strong in- 
fusion of laurel is equally poisonous, and even more certain in 
its deadly effects. 

Opium, which forms a very powerful and common poison 
to the human subject, from being immediately brought up, 
has no deleterious effect on dogs. It becomes a useful re- 
medy, but it will in no instance, nor in any quantity I have 
ever seen given, prove seriously injurious. 

o 2 



146 POISONS... .POLYPUS. 

The treatment/m cases of poison, must necessarily be prompt, 
and even then too often fails. When it can be ascertained 
that a dog has taken either an arsenical or mercurial poison, 
an emetic, composed of sufficient ipecacuanha (as from one to 
two or three scruples), with the same quantity of liver of sul- 
phur, should be immediately given ; and this should be done 
even though the stomach is already agitated with vomiting : 
unless, indeed, the vomiting has been long and violent, in 
which cases give only the liver of sulphur dissolved in boiled 
milk, and repeat it every hour or two ; throw some up as a 
clyster also in milk. When the stomach seems a little ap- 
peased, give laudanum and castor oil. 

When a dog may be suspected of having taken lead through 
the medium of paint, active purgatives of calomel, in doses of 
four to eight grains, with a moderate proportion of aloes, 
should be given, and repeated every six or eight hours till the 
bowels are perfectly cleared out. Afterwards keep the belly 
open, by mild doses of castor oil, and feed very lightly. A 
very common consequence of auointing dogs with mercurial 
ointment, is the licking themselves, by which they become 
poisoned ; often very fatally so. The stomach is but slightly 
affected, but a diarrhoea of great violence follows, attended 
with ulcerated bowels and bloody stools. In such cases, a 
mild dose of castor oil should be first given ; after .which, pro- 
ceed to wash off all the remaining ointment, aud then pursue 
the treatment by astringents, as in Looseness ; — which see. 



Polypus. 

Now and then an excrescence protrudes itself from some 
cavity, of an indeterminate form, but usually pendulous and 
nipple shaped. I have seen one grow in the nose, within the 
sheath of the penis, and from other parts also : but by much 



PULSE. 147 

the most usual situation, iu which polypi are found, is within 
the sheath or vagina of the bitch. 

When the pedicle of the polypus can be reached up to its 
origin, it may be taken off by excision. When this cannot be 
conveniently done, still a ligature may commonly be intro- 
duced around its base, and suffered to remain till the whole 
drops off. I have frequently removed polypi by both these 
methods, without future inconvenience or reproduction. 

ceoeeo 



Pulse. 

From the greater irritability of lesser animals, and the ex- 
treme quickness of their circulation, the motions of the heart 
and arteries do not present such exact criteria of health and 
disease, as they do in the horse and other large animals. In 
cases of very great affection, the action of the heart, and the 
pulsations of the larger arteries, may, however, be felt with 
propriety, and will serve as some guide to ascertain the degree 
of disease. The pulsations will not only be increased in quick- 
ness, but will present a vibratory feel in violent inflammatory 
affections. In inflammations of the lungs they will be very 
quick and small, but will increase in fuluess as the blood flows 
during bleeding. Something like the same will occur, but 
not in an equal degree, in inflammations of the stomach and 
bowels also. As the pulsatory motions, therefore, are not 
so distinct in the dog as they are in larger animals ; so, in 
general, the state of the breathing, which, in most cases, is 
regulated by the circulation, may be principally attended to 
as a mark of greater or less inflammatory action. When a dog, 
therefore, pants violently, his circulation, or in other words his 
pulse, may be considered as quickened. 

goooeo 



148 PUPPING AND PUPPIES. 



Pupping and Puppies. 

GREAT numbers of dogs die every year in bringing forth 
their young. A life of art has brought the human curse upon 
them, and they seem, in common with their female owners, to 
be doomed to bring forth in sorrow and pain. 

When bitches are at heat, care should be taken to prevent 
their intercourse with dogs much larger than themselves, 
otherwise they are very frequently destroyed ; the size of the 
puppies being such, that the mothers cannot bring them into 
the world. — See Spaying. — Thus cats, as beiug nearly all 
of one size, seldom die in kittening. All dogs, who are much 
domesticated and confined, appear particularly subject to 
difficulty in bringing forth. Sometimes the constitution is not 
equal to the exertion ; and sometimes there is false presenta- 
tion. Whenever a difficulty in pupping occurs, which has 
existed more than four or five hours, the bitch should be exa- 
mined by the parts of generation ; and, if any portion of a pup 
should be found to present itself, so as to be reached with the 
finger, a skain of worsted should, if possible, be fastened 
around it ; and, during the throes of the animal, it should be 
gently drawn away. If it cannot be reached this way, a little 
longer time may be allowed ; but if, after all, it proceeds no 
farther, a pair of forceps may be used. It is a good practice 
to give a mild purgative as soon as any symptoms of pupping 
appear ; and, when delivery seems much delayed, it will be 
prudent, in all cases, to bathe in warm water, and to give 
occasional doses of laudanum, which may be united with 
aether, if any convulsive appearances come on. The patience 
of bitches in labour is extreme, and their distress, if not re- 
lieved, is most striking and affecting. Their look is, at such 
times, particularly impressive. 

A wish to relieve them, has very frequently engaged me in 
performing the Cesarean operation ; but I never succeeded in 



PUPPING AND PUPPIES. 149 

any one instance. I attribute this failure, however, princi- 
pally to the delay in the time, which humanity suggests ; and 
not to the nature of the operation altogether, which is, how- 
ever, sufficiently dangerous. Whenever pupping is protracted 
considerably, the puppies surely die ; and, in those cases where 
the young are already dead from the effect of accident, they 
are the sure occasions of a protracted labour. Dead pup- 
pies come away piecemeal ; sometimes many days after the 
natural time, and occasion a fcstid discharge for many days 
afterwards. 

From a wish to rear too many young ones, persons are in- 
duced, after a bitch has pupped, to overload the mother; 
and thereby they often lose both parent and progeny. Such 
a bitch will go on very well perhaps for one, two, or even 
three weeks ; suddenly, however, she will be seized with con- 
vulsions, which will follow each other with rapidity, and carry 
her off. The cause is seldom suspected, but always arises 
from debility thus brought on. A bitch should always, there- 
fore, be allowed to suckle only as many puppies as her con- 
stitutional powers are equal to. To specify a precise number 
is totally impossible, as some mothers can bring up five or six 
with more ease than others can rear three. Strong healthy 
bitches, that have before brought up young, may rear four 
or five. Delicate ones are sufficiently burthened with three ; 
many can only bear two. 

When a bitch, therefore, who suckles has had a fit, imme- 
diately remove the puppies : one or two may be put to her 
for half an hour, morning and evening ; or, if she is much dis- 
tressed at their loss, and has much milk left, one may be left 
with her : but, unless the majority are taken away, she cannot 
be saved. Give also the following : — 

JEther 1 dram 

Laudanum 1 dram 

Strong ale 2 ounces.— Mix. 

Give from a desert to two table-spoonfuls of this mixture, 



150 PUPPING AND PUPPIES. 

according to the size and strength of the patient, repeating 
the dose every three or four hours. Force down also some 
nutritious matter, solid or liquid, as diet ; and, as soon as the 
animal will eat, let the food be of the very best kind, and in 
sufficient quantities. In such cases the warm bath is often 
very useful likewise. 

Puppies are born blind, and remain so for many days, the 
eyes opening gradually, and the ears becoming pervious by 
degrees. The skin, when born, is of a beautiful pink colour 
throughout. Such parts of it as are to be dark, as the roof 
of the mouth, paws, and nose, begin to change about the fourth 
or fifth day. The upper teeth, both cutting and grindiug, 
appear first, aud are tolerably complete at a month old ; but 
the others are not completed till some time afterwards, pro- 
bably to defend the teats of the mother from being bitten. 
The testes do not descend into the scrotum till the third or 
fourth week in most instances ; but they may be felt a week 
before this within the belly, by the side of the penis. Puppies 
are often born with supernumerary dew claws, which should 
be taken off. — See Claws and Cropping. 

Several diseases are peculiar to young dogs. One very fatal 
one, to which they are liable, seems to belong to some breeds ; 
that is, some bitches, particularly among terriers and pugs, 
always bring forth young ones who are either already diseased, 
or soon become so, in their mesenteries. Others are born 
healthy, but take on the disease only after they have been 
subjected to bad air, or bad milk, from the poverty of the 
mother, &c. In these cases of diseased mesenteries, the belly 
is large, but the rest of the body dwindles, and the bones stare. 
The animal grows but little, and at last dies tabid. It is 
seldom that any treatment will relieve this affection, unless 
when it originates from worms ; in which cases, mercurial pur- 
gatives, with tonics aud good food, will sometimes save the 
animals. This liability to worms in puppies is extreme, and 
often occasions fits in them, as well as other ailments. 



PUPPIES.. ..RABIES. 151 

Puppies are also very liable to rickets, the smaller terriers 
and pug puppies peculiarly so : in some breeds of terriers 
the complaint is hereditary and cultivated ; these are called 
wry legged, and are used for vermin hunting. Rickets ap- 
pears derived from the same sources as the mesenteric affec- 
tion, and can only be cured by free exercise, pure air, clean- 
liness, and good living. Puppies are also liable to be seized 
with a violent cramp, or spasmodic affection, of their bowels. 
I have known it epidemic. The pain is excessive, and gives 
way only to active mercurial purgatives; and not always to 
those even. 

Puppies should be early accustomed to restraint, with a 
chain and collar ; otherwise, when accidentally put on, they 
become frightened into fits: but, on the other hand, thou- 
sands of them are rendered ricketty and weak by too much 
confinement. In sporting and other large dogs, close confine- 
ment always spoils the feet, and spreads them into thin nar- 
row phalauges, instead of the upright compact form which 
characterises the foot of the cat, and which is so much and so 
justly admired among sportsmen. 

oeeoeo 

Rabies. 

This is the term by which naturalists and medical persons 
designate the disease popularly called madness; and which, 
from the popularity of the term, is therefore treated on under 
that head. It will, however, be there seen, that neither the 
one nor the other appellation is strictly applicable to it. 

C5eooeo 

Rheumatism. 

There is no disease, except distemper and mange, to 
which dogs are so liable, as to a rheumatic affection of some 
part or other of the body. 



i£2 RHEUMATISM. 

Rheumatism has almost as many varieties in dogs as it has 
in man; and it has some peculiarities in canine pathology 
that are observed in the dog only. One very extraordinary 
one is, that the rheumatism never exists in a dog without its 
affecting the bowels ; that is, whatever part of the body be- 
comes rheumatic, either an active rheumatic inflammation 
exists in the bowels also, or there is a painful torpor in them : 
and, in either case, there is commonly costiveness present. 
The most usual form of this complaint, is one similar to the 
human lumbago. In this case a dog is, in general, seized with 
a total loss of the use of his hind legs ; his back, about the 
loins, appears tender, and painful to the touch. He screams 
on being moved, and he has in general costiveness, but always 
pain and affection, of the bowels. Sometimes there is not 
total paralysis of the hind legs, in which case the complaint 
is only less violent ; while at others not only the hinder legs, 
but the fore legs also, are completely paralysed and helpless. 

A certain prognostic of the termination of this complaint is 
very difficult to form ; for sometimes the limbs recover them- 
selves very speedily, at others more slowly : while, in some 
other cases, the paralysis remains complete through life, and 
the dog drags his hind legs after him as long as he lives, or 
carries them completely from the ground by the strength of 
his fore quarters. When the paralysis is universal, the chance 
of perfect recovery is less than when it is partial; though from 
this also they do now and then recover by proper treatment. 
Even after the recovery appears in other respects complete, 
there is sometimes a considerable weakness left in the back ; 
and it may be regarded as a rule from which there are few 
deviations, that, when a dog has once had rheumatism, he will 
be peculiarly liable to it again on the access of cold. 

There is another kind of rheumatism that seems to be com- 
bined with a spasmodic affection, which peculiarly affects the 
neck, causes it to swell, and produces great pain and stiffness 
to the dog. Sometimes also it attacks one or both fore legs, 



RHEUMATISM. 153 

in all which cases, the bowels also are always affected ; and 
it is a remarkable fact that, when they are relieved, the vio- 
lence of the complaint is always mitigated in the limbs or 
neck. 

I have not found any one kind of dog to be more prone to 
rheumatic affections than another ; all seem alike subject to 
them : but those are most so who live most artificially, and 
who, though usually kept warm, become accidentally exposed 
to wet or cold, suddenly or long applied. 

The spring produces more instances of this disease than 
any other time of the year ; the reason of which appears to be, 
that easterly winds prevail then more generally : for it will be 
found that this wind is peculiarly injurious in this way to ten- 
der dogs. I have known many of them who could not be 
exposed to an easterly wind for a quarter of an hour, without 
certainly becoming affected with rheumatism. 

The treatment of this complaint should be as follows : — In 
every instance the bowels should be particularly attended 
to ; and in no way does it seem better effected than by first 
placing the animal in warm water, keeping him there for a 
quarter of an hour, and rubbing him well over the affected 
parts during the time. When taken out, wipe him nearly dry ; 
wrap him up in a blanket very closely and carefully, and place 
him within the warmth of a fire : first, however, giving him 
the following : — 



'a 



Tincture of opium 20 drops 

^Ether 30 drops 

Castor oil 1 ounce. 

This is proper for a middling sized dog, and may be in- 
creased or diminished in strength at pleasure. Should it not 
be found to operate, a clyster should be likewise administered ; 
and, in default of that acting also, give the following ball, 
increasing or diminishing its size and strength according to 
circumstances : — 



154 RHEUMATISM... .RICKETS. 

Calomel 4 grains 

Powdered opium quarter of a grain 

Oil of peppermint 1 drop 

Aloes 1 dram. 

Make into a ball with lard or butter, which give ; and, if 
necessary, repeat every four hours till the bowels are perfectly 
open : in which state they must be moderately kept for several 
days. The affected parts should also be embrocated two or 
three times a-day with the following : — 

Oil of turpentine 2 ounces 

Spirit of hartshorn 2 ounces 

Laudanum 2 drams 

Sweet oil 2 ounces. 

The warm bath should be repeated at intervals of one or 
two days, according to the quickness or slowness of the amend- 
ment ; moderate feeding should be allowed : sometimes food 
is altogether refused ; more frequently the animal is as willing 
to eat as at other times. It is not a little remarkable also 
that he is, in these cases, often voracious. 

When the paralysis, occasioned by rheumatism, continues 
to deprive the limbs of their mobility, I have experienced some 
good effect from electricity, in others from mercurial frictions, 
and in some cases from blisters along the spine. When the 
hinder limbs ouly are paralytic, a very large pitch plaster, 
applied over the whole loins, reaching to the tail, and covering 
the upper parts of the thighs, should continue to be worn for 
two months, or even longer. In a few cases I have expe- 
rienced benefit from the cold bath; but the warm bath, 
though the most admirable remedy during the rheumatic at- 
tack, I have never found to give relief to the future paralysis. 

ooccoo 

Rickets. 

Puppies are often born ricketty, or become so as soon as 
they begin to walk. Pugs, and the smaller terriers, are very 



SCHIRRUS. 155 

liable to it. There is a breed of larger terriers, in whom the 
deformity is hereditary ; these are called wry legged, and 
are much used for hunting rabbits, &c. &c. The affection 
attacks all the joints of the extremities, which it enlarges, 
and also makes the limbs crooked. Cleanliness, good air, 
free exercise, and wholesome food, will commonly prevent it ; 
they will also amend it in those already affected. — See Pup- 
pies. 

e©o©©© 

Schirrus. 

In the human subject this is considered as the primary 
stage of cancer ; but dogs, though very subject to schirrus, 
are but little liable to cancer. It is true these schirrous tu- 
mours very frequently ulcerate, and such ulceration proves 
obstinate, and spreads ; but it reaches only through the ex- 
tent of the gland, and very seldom attacks the surrounding 
parts. On the contrary, it may be regarded as mild in its 
character, little painful, and not attended with any particular 
foetor in the discharges made therefrom. It is also worthy of 
remark, that an examination of the schirrous tumours of the 
dog presents a different appearance from those of the human 
subject. In the former, instead of exhibiting various strata of 
morbid matter, the innermost of which is the most condensed, 
there are seen, in the canine tumours of this kind, appearances 
more resembling a collection of glands, or of firm hydatids ; 
each of which presents, on a section of it, a distinct diseased 
process. 

Schirrous indurations appear to be principally occasioned 
by the same causes that tend to the production of mange ; 
namely, vitiated or superabundant secretions of some parts, 
the effect of a general fulness of habit striving to relieve itself. 
These tumours are, therefore, most frequent among dogs who 
are hotly kept, suffer much confinement, aud are over-fed* 



156 SCHIRRTJS. 

Sekirreus Teats of Bitches. — These parts arc a very usual 
seat of schirrotts tumours, particularly among those bitches, 
who have not been allowed to breed. They are also common 
to those who live a confined life, and are too full fed. The 
origin of these tumours may be very frequently dated from an 
inflammation in the mammae, when puppies have died ; or 
from the coagulating of that milk which forms, by sympathy, 
about the period a bitch would have pupped, provided she 
had been allowed to breed. A. small knot or kernel, not 
larger often than a pea, is first felt within the gland, which 
sometimes increases fast ; at others it enlarges very slowly, 
appearing to give little uneasiness, till its weight makes it 
prove troublesome. If the schirrus is not dispersed in this 
state, the tumour, sooner or later, proceeds to ulceration ; 
previous to which, one or two small shining vesicles form on 
its surface, which break, and ooze out an ichor or glairy fluid, 
but seldom at first produce a healthy matter. The first open- 
ing often heals up, but others follow ; and, in the end, two or 
three, or more, appear at the same time, which, breaking in 
different parts, are soon licked into one sore by the animal, 
and it then seldom heals afterwards. 

While the tumour is externally whole, and is throughout 
indurated, without bydatid-like vesicles, it may be, now and 
then, dispersed by the application of active discutients, as 
brandy, vinegar, and salt, salt and water ; or by the repeated 
application of leeches, which forms of all others, in many in- 
stances, the best mode of treatment. In some cases, the same 
means, recommended for the cure of bronchocele, prove use- 
ful. During the attempts at discussing these tumours, a repe- 
tition of the causes producing them should be carefully avoided, 
such as a sympathetic repletion of the teats from coagulated 
milk, and the obstruction to its passing off, by depriving them 
too early of their young ; as well likewise a general reple- 
tion of the system. 

As, however, all means at dispersing these tumours are very 



SCHIRRUS. 157 

apt to fail, and ulceration is the too common consequence, it 
follows that extirpation, or the cutting of them out, is the 
remedy usually necessary to be resorted to for their complete 
removal. This operation may be safely performed, in every 
instance, with only common precautions : out of innumerable 
cases, on which I have operated, I never lost one. It is how- 
ever, in general, prudent to let the tumour increase, till, by 
its weight, it becomes pendulous, and detached from the abdo- 
minal muscles, when it may be dissected out without any 
danger of opening the peritoneum, or of wounding large arte- 
rial branches. In dividing the integuments, care should be 
taken to destroy but little of their surface, except such as may 
be actually diseased ; for, by dissecting the tumour from out 
of the integuments, and by not removing integuments and all, 
the wound much soouer closes, and the cicatrix which follows 
is necessarily smaller, and less corrugated. As the excision 
proceeds, the blood vessels should be taken up ; and, when 
the tumour is removed, two or three stitches should be intro- 
duced into the opposite edges of the skin to bring them toge- 
ther ; by which the cure will be considerably expedited. 
These stitches, however, ulcerate out in three or four days ; 
but they have performed their office, and the remaining wound 
will require only common dressing, with the addition of band- 
ages sufficient to prevent the dog from interrupting the healing 
by his nose and tongue. 

Wens and schirrous tumours are not confined to the teats 
only ; nor are dogs without them, as well as bitches. There 
is scarcely a part of the body but what I have seen these wen- 
like enlargements on : the treatment of which in nowise dif- 
fers from the plans already laid down. 

The testicles in dogs are sometimes also the seat of schirrous 
induration. In such cases, one or both of these glands be- 
come hard, painful, and rather tender, with a shining fulness 
in the scrotum. If the tumour does not readily give way to 
the application- of the active discutieuts (steadily applied), 



158 SCROTUM, INFLAMED... .SETONS. 

that are recommended for these cases in the teats of bitches, 
assisted by mild daily doses of calomel internally, proceed, 
without delay, to castrate, to prevent the disease from ex- 
tending up the spermatic chord. — See Castration. 

Scrotum, inflamed. 

An acute inflammatory affection, not unlike human erysi- 
pelas, often falls into the bag of dogs, which is, in fact, a spe- 
cies of acute mange. It is most distressing and painful, being 
in the highest state of irritation, heat, and swelling. It some- 
times becomes raw, and produces pus ; at others it remains 
red and tumefied, but without ulceration. Although it is a 
mangy affection, yet, like that which attacks the head, it must 
be deprived of its irritable state before any of the applications 
detailed for the cure of mange can be borne. The cure, there- 
fore, should be begun by bleeding, purging, and cooling alte- 
ratives, with sparing food. The parts themselves may be 
dressed with the following, taking care to prevent the dog 
from licking them, which only aggravates the complaint, robs 
the parts of their remedy, and may iujure the health. 

Sugar of lead 10 grains 

Spermaceti ointment 1 ounce.«— Mix. 

oeeee e 

Setons. 

Setons are artificial drains to the constitution, either to 
lower it generally, or to draw a deposit or a secretion of mat- 
ter from one part to another. Country farriers and grooms 
make setons by piercing the skin through with a red hot iron ; 
but this is barbarous, and leaves a bad scar. The proper 
mode of performing the operation is by means of a seton 
needle, which is a well-known instrument, not unlike a pack- 



SICKNESS, EXCESSIVE. 159 

ing needle, but three times as broad. This, being armed with 
a skain of thread, or a piece of tape, about six or eight inches 
long, is passed through about two inches of the skin, com 
monly of the neck, though any other part may very properly 
have a seton placed in it if requisite. The needle is then re- 
moved, and the tape suffered to remain, either tied end to 
end, or a knot may be made at each end to prevent its coming 
out. 

Setons are used in a variety of cases, but the most general 
one is in distemper, in which they are very commonly used ; 
but not, I think, in many instances with the beuefit expected 
from them. 



Sickness, excessive. 

The stomach sometimes takes on a disposition to reject 
every thing taken into it. Various causes may produce this ; 
such as too strong an emetic, which will sometimes occasion 
incessant sickness for two or three days after it has been taken. 
In such a case, give every now and then, or after each vomit- 
ing, a few drops of laudanum in a little gravy, gruel, or rice 
water. In instances of frequent sickness, arising from a weak- 
ened stomach, boiled milk will sometimes remain when every 
thing beside is rejected. In such cases, the bitter stomachics 
should also be tried, as Colombo, camomile, and gentian, with 
the addition of very small doses of opium. 

A foul stomach, as it is called, shews itself also by frequent 
sickness. Indigestion, or worms, or more frequently bile, 
may be the origin of such nausea. Iu cases of indigestion, 
an emetic should be first given; and then stomachics may 
properly follow. The sickness arising from worms may also 
be treated in the same way, concluding with a course of worm 
remedies. Bilious vomitings may be known from the bile 

p 



160 SPASM. 

•appearing with the matter brought up. When this kind of 
sickness is not accompanied with inflammation, give an emetic 
also, and then a purgative : but, when the sickness is inces- 
sant and distressing, it shews there is bilious inflammation ; — 
which see. The most urgent and continued vomitings arise 
from the action of poisons, and from idiopathic inflammation 
of the stomach. — See these heads. 

cooee© 

Spasm. 

By spasm is understood an irregular motion in the muscular 
fibre ; consequently, we can readily suppose it may be partial 
or general. When general, it is usually called convulsion. 
Dogs are very subject to spasm from a variety of causes : it 
is also an accompaniment to numerous diseases. Rheumatism 
produces spasmodic affections of the bowels, and often of the 
neck, fore extremities, &c. Distemper is also a very fertile 
source of spasm, sometimes in the form of universal or partial 
twitchings, very like St. Vitus's dance ; sometimes in bowel 
affections, and sometimes in general convulsion. In rabies, 
spasmodic contractions are very common; and these also some- 
times produce appearances exactly similar to those seen in St. 
Vitus's dance. Spasmodic colic is not unfrequent in dogs ; 
it also affects puppies in their bowels in a very particular 
manner. One distressing state of spasm in the bowels pro- 
duces vertigo, and a disposition to turn constantly to one 
side ; in which cases the head, neck, and at last all the ex- 
tremities, become contracted by it. — See Colic. 

Cramp, which is the familiar term for spasm among sports- 
men, I have known to seize the limbs suddenly, first one and 
then the other. I have met with two or three instances of te- 
tanus, or locked jaw, also. 

The best antispasmodics are the warm bath, with warm 



SPASM. ...SPAYING. l6i 

cloathing afterwards. In some cases extraordinary warmth is 
useful, with volatile embrocations externally applied. Inters 
nally, the following may be given : — 

jEther 20 to 60 drops 

Laudanum 20 to 60 drops 

Camphor ».. 3 to 6 grains. 

Mix these together, and give, in a table-spoonful of ale, or 
wine and water, according to the urgency of the symptoms. 
No fear need be apprehended from an over-dose of laudanum ; 
the analogy between the human and brute does not hold good 
in this instance : a dog will bear five times a greater quantity 
of opium than a human person. When spasm affects the 
bowels, sometimes much benefit arises from clysters with 
laudanum in them ; but in such cases double the quantity of 
the opiate, given by the mouth, may be used. — See Colic, 
spasmodic. — Warm bathing, as before noticed, should never 
be omitted as a remedy in general spasm ; but, in some cases 
of long continued spasmodic affection, as in the twitchings 
arising from distemper; tonic remedies, with cold bathing, 
are more proper. 

eocsooe 

Spaying, 

This is a cruel and commonly an unnecessary operation, fre- 
quently practised to prevent iuconvenience to the owners : but 
humanity should forbid its being resorted to, except in cases 
where the omission of it would endanger the life, as some 
peculiarity that prevents a bitch pupping with ease and safety ; 
or when she has been connected with, and is found to be 
breeding by, a dog much larger than herself. In this case, as 
she would probably die in labour, it is not improper to remove 
the puppies, at three or four weeks advance in pregnancy. 
The operation is performed by making an opening in the flauk 

P 2 



162 THE STONE IN DOGS. 

on either side, and drawing the ovaria out, which are then cut 
off. Bitches, after they have been spayed, become fat, bloated* 
and spiritless ; and commonly prove short lived. 

oeeceo 

Stomach, inflamed. 
See Inflamed Stomach. 

cceeeo 

The Stone in Dogs. 

This, though not a very common complaint, sometimes 
does exist. I have not less than forty or fifty calculi by me 
which I took from a Newfoundland dog, after his death, which 
was occasioned by the obstruction to the passage of the 
urine by means of these stones. Death had already happened 
before I was called in, or probably relief might have been 
afforded by an operation. I have likewise witnessed other 
similar instances. When a small calculus obstructs the ureth- 
ra, and can be felt, it may be cut down upon and removed 
with safety ; or a catheter, firm bougie, or sound, may be in- 
troduced, and the stone pushed again into the bladder. 

But it must be remembered, that the urethra of the dog, in 
passing from the bladder, proceeds nearly in a direct line back- 
wards ; and then, making an acute angle, it passes again for- 
wards. It must be, therefore, evident that, when it becomes 
necessary to pass a catheter, sound, or bougie, into the blad- 
der, it must first be passed up the penis to the extremity of 
this angle : the point of the instrument must then be cut down, 
upon, and, from this opening, the instrument can be readily 
.passed forwards into the bladder. 

eeooee 



ST. VITUS'S DANCE.,. .SURFEITS. 163 

St. Anthony's Tire, 

Dogs are subject to two affections, not unlike to human 
erysipelas. The one attacks the head, and is described with 
Mange, and with Tumours also. The other affects the 
scrotum, and may be seen under Inflamed Scrotum. 
Until the diseases of dogs are more clearly defined, these may 
both of them be considered as an acute state of mange. They 
both depend on repletion, and are both removed by means 
that deplete the system. 

©©eo©o 

St Vitus's Dance. 

An irregular action of the muscular fibre now and then 
occurs, that very much resembles chorea sancti viti. That 
which remains after distemper sometimes, resembles it very 
intimately. Other causes will also produce a similar appear- 
ance; all of which are detailed under Spasm, 

Surfeits. 

What is known by the name of a surfeit, is nothing more 
than mange. Thus, when a sudden breaking out appears, 
with great heat and redness, it is termed a surfeit. When, 
also, there are a number of dry bare blotches, they are called 
the same. These cases appear to require more active lower- 
ing of the habit, by bleeding, physic, and vegetable diet, than 
the other varieties of mange. 

Surfeits are very commonly the effect of some inflammatory 
tendency in the habit ; thus bitches, after pupping, frequently 
break out into extensive eruptive spots or inflamed patches : 
sometimes there is much ulceration also. Similar appearances 
occur often to dogs after distemper. — See Mange, where the 
proper treatment is detailed. 

oeooeo 



164 TESTICLES, DISEASED.. ..TUMOURS. 

Sivellings. 
See Tumours. 

eoceeo 

Tailing of Puppies. 
See Cropping. 

Teats, sivelled. 

See Breeding, Schirrus, Glandular Swellings, and 

Tumours. 

Testicles, diseased. 

Sometimes dogs are attacked with a redness and swelling 
of the scrotum or bag, attended with much heat and irrita- 
tion. This is nothing more than an acute mange, and is 
treated of under that complaint, and also under Scrotum, 
inflamed. But sometimes the testicles themselves may 
become enlarged and indurated, which is a much more seri- 
ous disease. — See Castration and Schirrus. 



Throat, sivelled. 
See Neck, swelled; and Bronchocele. 



Tumours. 

Dogs are subject to a variety of swellings or tumours. If 
we commence our account with the head, we shall find that 
it is the subject of a peculiar tumefaction, not very unlike 



TUMOURS.. ..ULCEROUS AFFECTIONS. 165 

human erysipelas. In dogs of a gross full habit, begetting 
repletion ; and in such also as experience over-feeding, the 
head will sometimes become suddenly enlarged, hot, tender, 
and painful, accompanied with great fever in the constitution. 
In a day or two a general breaking out takes place, which 
proves, to be a kind of acute mange. — See Mange. — In dis- 
temper also, a tumour sometimes forms upon some part of the 
face, generally about the lower jaw, which soon breaks into 
an open and bad ulcer. — See Distemper. — The flap of the 
ear is also subject to a very considerable tumour, containing 
serum. — See Tumefied Flap of the Ear. 

The neck is likewise subject to tumefactions. The princi- 
pal of these arises from an enlargement of the glands on each 
side the windpipe, and is called Bronchocele ; ivhieh see. 
The neck will sometimes also become swollen from rheu- 
matism. 

On the body, glandular tumours, or wens, will likewise form 
in various parts : there is hardly any situation in which I have 
not seen them ; nor scarcely any part I have not extracted 
them from. — See Cancer and Glandular Swellings.— 
But the most frequent glandular tumours, are those that form 
in the teats of bitches. — See Schiruus. — In old bitches there 
often appears a tumour, or enlargement, on each side the 
back about the loins ; which, though it elevates the skin ex- 
ternally, yet is evidently more deeply situated. These swellings 
arise from large accumulations of fat about the ovaria, and are 
best kept down by exercise, moderate feeding, and alteratives. 

ceecco 

Ulcerous Affections. 

Dogs are subject to .ulceration of various parts of the body, 
dependent on very different causes. Cancer, which is the 
worst ulcer. we are acquainted with, is but little common in 
the dog. Those cases, however, in canine pathology, that do 



166 ULCEROUS AFFECTIONS. 

approach its character, are noticed under the head CANCER, 
A very malignant ulcer sometimes breaks out in the lips, 
face, or neck, in distemper, and is there noticed. In virulent 
canker, the internal, and sometimes the external ear also, be- 
come now and then violently ulcerated. I have seen ulcera- 
tion proceed so far in these cases as to destroy the dog. The 
eyes become very commonly ulcerated in distemper ; and as 
commonly, when the distemper is cured, they reinstate them- 
selves, although the ulcerative process was very considerable. 

Glandular parts in dogs are very liable to ulceration ; the 
most common among which are the teats in bitches. — See 
Schirrus. — The vagina, sheath, or bearing, and sometimes 
the womb also, are found to be affected with a morbid ulcer- 
ous state, which is very usually accompanied with a fungous 
excrescence, from which blood exudes, or a bloody ichor. 
This disease participates more of the nature of cancer than 
any other to which dogs are generally liable. — See Cancer. 

The penis is likewise the subject of an ulcerous affection, 
which is also commonly accompanied with a spongy fungous 
excrescence, exuding a bloody ichor : but it do**s not erode 
the neighbouring parts, aud appears to partake more of the 
nature of a vascular warty substance, than of that of cancer. 

This fungous excrescence on the penis is often mistaken for a 
disease of the kidnies or bladder. A few drops of bloody 
fluid appear now and then to come from the dog ; and, as in 
the act of making water, the last effort squeezes the fungus, 
and forces a drop or two at that time, so it is concluded, that 
either the urethra, or the kidnies, or bladder, is affected. 
But, in these cases, if the dog is held, and the prepuce stripped 
all the way down, so as to expose the penis throughout its 
whole length, there will generally be found one or more large 
fungous knobs, from which proceed this bloody secretion. 

The cure cousists in removing every one of these excres* 
cences, carefully and completely, with the knife, leaving no 
part of the base or pedicle of each. Having done this, 



URINE, BLOODY. 167 

sprinkle the excised part with a little alum in fine powder; 
and, unless the excrescence was very considerable (when it 
will be necessary to remove the prepuce every day to prevent 
an union of it to the penis), the rest may be left to nature. In 
very slight cases, where these fungi have appeared as warts 
only, which is not uncommon, I have removed them by merely 
sprinkling them daily with powdered saviue three parts, crude 
sal ammoniac two parts. Other ulcerous affections are noticed 
under the head Wounds. 

eecooe 

Urine, bloody. 

Bitches seldom have any disease of the bladder or kid- 
nies. When, therefore, there is any bloody issue from the 
parts of generation in them, it commonly proceeds from some 
affection of either the vagina, or womb. Such appearances 
may be the effect of a polypus ; — which see. Or they may 
arise, which is also more probable, from a cancerous affection. 
— See Cancer. 

In dogs, also, bloody urine is not uncommon. In them, the 
neck of the bladder becomes sometimes injured, or a part of 
the urethra ruptured, from brutal persons forcing them from 
bitches in the copulative act. In such cases, during active 
inflammation, bleed by the neck, and foment the part. When 
the inflammation has subsided, the following balls will com- 
monly effect the restoration of the parts : — 

Japan earth 2 drams 

Gum arabic, powdered 3 drams 

Gum myrrh half a dram 

Gum benjamin half a dram 

Balsam Peru half a dram. 

Mix, with honey, into twelve, fifteen, or twenty balls, accord- 
ing to the size of the dog ; and give one night and morning. 
A more frequent, but, to persons unacquainted with the 



168 WARTS IN, AND AVASHING OF, DOGS. 

diseases of dogs, a more obscure source of bloody urine, arises 
from fungous excrescences on the penis. — See Ulcerous 
Affections. 



Warts in Dogs. 

It is not uncommon for dogs to be troubled with warts on 
some parts of the body ; the most frequent of which are the 
lips, the penis, aud the prepuce. These excrescences may be 
either cut off, or, when they exist in clusters, they may be 
sprinkled with equal parts of crude sal ammoniac and pow- 
dered savine ; which commonly effects their removal. 

cescoo 

Washing of Dogs. 

This becomes, under some circumstances, a very necessary 
practice; and, wheu judiciously managed, is salutary: but, 
when otherwise, it is productive of more mischief than persons 
are aware of. There is not a more fertile source of disease to 
dogs, than suffering their coats to remain wet after washing 
or bathing. In the first place, it subjects those who are 
unused to it to colds, which end frequently in distemper, in- 
flammations, or asthma ; and in those, to whom it is common, 
it is scarcely less pernicious ; for, though it may not occasion 
immediate illness, it nevertheless, in the end, frequently pro- 
duces canker or mange. It may be observed, as a proof of 
this, that dogs, who often go into the water, are seldom with- 
out some affection of this kind. Canker, particularly, is 
almost confined to dogs who swim much, or who are washed 
often, without being properly dried afterwards. It should, 
therefore, be most attentively observed, that when dogs are 
washed, that they are also carefully dried after it. Very 
small dogs, for this purpose, may be wrapped up in a blanket : 



WASHING OF DOGS. ...WORMING. 169 

large dogs, after being well rubbed, may be permitted to run 
into a stable among clean straw, which is a very excellent 
means of drying them, aud, from its warmth, a very safe one. 

It should be remembered that, in ascertaining the proper 
warmth of the water for washing of dogs, the heat, which 
appears trifling to the hand of a servant always used to dab- 
bling in suds, will scald an animal unused to any thing but 
cold water. Washing should not be repeated oftener than 
once a week, even with the best care ; for it certainly pro- 
motes mange and canker. Rubbing the skin with a flannel 
and dry bran is better. In slight rednesses of the skin, wash- 
ing with common gin will often remove them. 

But, however hurtful a too frequent system of water wash- 
ing may be to healthy dogs ; to diseased ones, both the hot and 
cold baths are of the greatest service. — See Bathing. 

Wens. 
See Schirrus. 

eeeeoo 

Worming. 

Perhaps I could hardly choose a better opportunity than 
the present, to shew how lamentably ignorant the generality 
of persons, even of those who are otherwise well-informed, 
are, relative to the animal economy of this useful quadruped. 
Many of those, likewise, who pride themselves on their know- 
ledge of dogs, actually suppose that a worm exists uuder the 
tongue of every one of them, the removal of which .will prevent 
them from going mad. Those, who do not carry the opinion 
to this length, are still convinced that, provided the dog who 
has had this imaginary worm removed should become rabid 
at any future time, the removal will effectually prevent him 
from biting. 



I/O WORMING. ...WORMS. 

The mouth, in some mad or rabid dogs, certainly become* 
so swollen, or rather so paralytic, that it is with difficulty the 
jaws can be closed : but this may happen to an unwormed or 
to a wormed dog equally. — See this subject in Rabies, where 
it is further enlarged on. 

Worming is also practised to prevent gnawing, which young 
dogs are very prone to do, first from a playful habit, and 
next to favour the removal of the present, and growth of the 
future, teeth. In infants, also, the same habit is observed. 
But worming only prevents gnawing, by making the mouth 
sore ; for, as soon as the wouuded part is well, the dog recurs 
to the practice again. 

Worming is a custom, therefore, founded on ignorance, 
and should not be perpetuated by any written directions how 
to perform it. 

oeoeoo 

Worms. 

Dogs are very subject to these animals, several kinds of 
which infest their stomachs and bowels. The taenia, or tape 
worm, is a common kind, of which I have often known four 
or five hundred joints passed by a dog, whose united length 
would encircle his body many times. 1 have, likewise, seen 
them coiled up into a ball, which thus formed an impene- 
trable obstruction in the bowels, and destroyed the animal. 
The long round worm is another kind to which dogs are very 
subject. They sometimes make their way from the bowels 
into the stomach, aud are then brought up by the sickness 
they occasion. A third kind has short bodies, resembling 
maggots, with a red or black head. This kind does not, I 
believe, produce such serious consequences as the two former. 
A fourth kind resembles the human ascarides, or thread worm, 
and principally inhabits the rectum. Of all the different 
worms, these are the least prejudicial to the health. 



WORMS. 171 

The constitution of some dogs appears particularly favour- 
able to the breeding of worms ; for, destroy them as often as 
you will, they will soon return again. The tape worm is par- 
ticularly hard to wholly subdue. Some dogs continue for 
months and years even to pass some joints every day, appa- 
rently, in some instances, without much inconvenience. The 
danger, in such cases, is, that a sudden convulsive attack 
will ensue, or sometimes an inflammatory one, which shall 
collect all the lesser evils into oue dire effect. Worms are 
particularly fatal to puppies ; and when not fatal, if they 
exist in considerable quantities, they are sure to prove preju- 
dicial to them in some way. 

Worms are easily detected, even though they should not 
pass away ; for, when a dog has many of them, he has usually 
a slight cough, his coat stares, he eats voraciously, yet seldom 
fattens : but the stools prove the most unequivocal symptom ; 
for they are peculiarly irregular, being at one time loose and 
slimy, and at another rather more hard and dry than natural. 
The belly likewise is often hard, and sometimes swelled. When 
puppies have worms, the first that pass are seldom noticed, 
for they seem to affect the health but little ; but gradually 
purging becomes more frequent; the animal, though lively, 
wastes, and his hip-bones may be plainly felt, though the 
staring of the coat may make him still appear fat. The growth, 
likewise, becomes impeded, and in this way it is very common 
for him to continue, till a fit or two carries him off, or he 
dies tabid. In grown dogs, worms are less fatal, though, from 
the obstructions they form, they not unfrequently kill them 
likewise. In both the young and the full grown, they very 
commonly produce fits. It does not follow, because no worms 
are seen to pass away, that a dog, who exhibits the other 
symptoms of them, has none : neither, when they are not seen, 
does it follow even that none pass ; for, if they remain long 
in the intestines after they are dead, they become digested 
like other animal matter. 



17% WORMS. 

The treatment of worm cases in dogs has been like that of 
the human, and the remedies employed have been intended 
either to destroy the worms within the body, or otherwise to 
drive them mechanically, as it were, out of the bowels by 
active purgatives: but, as these latter means were violent 
(for, without the very mucus of the bowels, as well as the 
foeces, were expelled, no benefit was derived from them), so 
the remedy, in many instances, became worse than the disease. 
Many substances have, therefore, been tried, in hopes of de- 
stroying these animals within the body ; and it is evident, that 
any thing that could certainly do this would be most import- 
ant, as it would obviate the necessity of haviug recourse to 
the violent purgative means heretofore employed. 

For this purpose, mercurials in small doses, pewter, tin, 
sulphur, bitters, and numerous vegetables, have been tried ; 
but most of them with very dubious success. Cowhage, how- 
ever, seems to claim a considerable preference over the rest. 
Where dogs can be made to take them, Epsom salts, in mo- 
derate daily doses, often prove an excellent vermifuge, as well 
as mild purgative. The ascarides are best destroyed by 
aloetic clysters. The tape worm is not uufrequently removed 
by mercurial purges. As a general vermifuge, either of the 
following may be tried with confidence, particularly the latter: 

Cowhage half a dram. 

Common salt 1 dram 

Tin filings, made with the finest possible file 2 drams. 

Or, 

Levigated iron 1 dram 

Levigated tin 1 dram 

A distemper powder, No. 1 (p. 45) 

Form either of these into four, six, or eight balls, and give one 
every morning. If the first proves emetic, omit the salt, 

ooooco 



WOUNDS. 17 3 



Wounds. 



Dogs are liable to become wounded in various ways, and 
these wounds are not, generally, much attended to, from an 
opinion that the animal's tongue is the best dressing. This 
is very questionable ; in some instances, I am certain, no ap- 
plication can be worse than his own tongue. Whenever dogs 
are at all inclined to foulness, a sore, so licked, is sure to be- 
come mangy, and to be aggravated by the licking. 

In all extensive and lacerated wounds, a stitch or two 
should be made with a large needle and thread, as it will 
reduce the wound ; but, as such stitches soon ulcerate out in 
the dog, so the edges should be still further secured by slips 
of sticking plaster. A recent wound should be cleansed from 
the dirt, and then covered up : when it begins to suppurate, 
dress with any mild ointment. In thorn wounds, or others 
made with splinters, carefully examine that nothing is left 
within them ; otherwise no attempts to produce healing will 
prove successful. The most common wounds in dogs arise from 
the bites of other dogs. Under such circumstances, should 
any suspicion arise that the dog was mad, by whom the 
wounded one was bitten, first carefully wash the wounds with 
warm water, and immediately afterwards wash the dog all 
over also. The bitten part itself should then be cauterized, 
either with the actual cautery, or with lunar caustic. Should 
the wound be an extensive one, or much lacerated, the lunar 
caustic will prove the safest application, and by far the most 
convenient. The wounds, arising from common bites, in ge- 
neral soon heal of themselves : if, however, they are very 
extensive, wash them with Friar's balsam, to prevent their 
becoming gangrenous. 

Fistulous wounds, in glandular parts, often prove very ob- 
stinate. In such cases, means must be taken to get at the 
bottom of the sinus, and to raise a more healthy inflammation 



174 



WOUNDS, 



therein. This may be either done by injecting something 
stimulant into it, as a vitriolic wash, or by passing a seton 
through it. Some fistulous wounds, such as those in the feet, 
and about the joints, will often not heal ; because either the 
bones, or the capsular ligaments, are diseased. Tn these 
cases, the wound, in general, requires to be laid open to the 
bottom, and to be stimulated with oil of turpentine, or 
with tincture of Spanish flies, daily, till a healing process 
shews itself. 




' ^^^^ss^rSrr^^S^^mM 



Btseasrs of Cats. 



THOUGH these animals are very inferior, in all their pro- 
perties, to dogs, yet they are not only useful to mankind, 
but, as being domesticated with him, humauity is very mate- 
rially concerned in a due attention to their welfare and com- 
fort. Cats are subject to but few diseases compared with 
the number entailed on dogs ; one principal reason for which 
appears to be, that domestication has done little towards re- 
claiming their natural habits : and hence they are less sub- 
jected to the variations in health that are consequent to a life 
of art. But a still more cogent reason may be possibly found 
in the inferiority of their natures in the scale of animated 
existence. 

Kitteus are generally brought into the world without much 
difficulty or pain to their mother. Like puppies, they are 
born indigent; being wholly blind and helpless. At about 
a week old, their eyes open ; and from this period, to that of 
their attaining their full growth, which is about nine or ten 
months, a cat is one of the most interesting and amusing 
animals in existence. During their growth, they are fre- 
quently subject to 

Fits, which are likewise common to them at all ages, but 
more particularly so while they are young. I believe the 
most general cause of these convulsions arises from worms, 
to which these animals are peculiarly liable. Their fits may 
also, now and then, be occasioned by costiveness ; but, from 
the cleanly habits of cats, it is extremely difficult to detect 



176 DISEASES OF CATS. 

this cause : in some cases the cause is altogether hid. These 
fits in cats are usually very violent, and commonly inspire 
considerable dread; for, among these animals, as well as 
among dogs, when any unusual violence is observed, it is 
directly attributed to madness. But, though a rabid cat has 
much more ferocity and proneness to mischief than is usually 
observable in the same disease in dogs, yet the rabid mania, 
when it actually does exist in them, is very different from the 
wild and unintentional violence committed by a cat in fits ; 
such as turning round, hiding itself one minute, and the next 
running under the fire, or up the chimney. These marks of 
total alienation of mind need, therefore, never be dreaded : 
on the contrary, humanity dictates that every thing should be 
done for the relief of the suffering animal. A dose of castor 
oil should be immediately given, and afterwards the worm 
medicines, prescribed under that head in Dogs, should be 
resorted to. 

Worms in Cats do not, however, always produce fits ; on 
the contrary, they sometimes make the animal waste and pine; 
the belly becomes either very much enlarged, or otherwise 
pinched tight up, aud the coat stares : there is also, as in 
dogs, great irregularity in the appetite. In these cases, like- 
wise, a similar treatment should be pursued to that detailed 
under the head Worms in Dogs, which I have always found 
efficacious in cats also. 

Distemper in Cats. — Little similarity as there is be- 
tween the dog and cat, yet they partake of this disease in 
common between them ; and each is capable of giving or 
receiving it from the other. This disease in cats puts onf 
now and then, perfectly an epidemic form. In 1803 it ra- 
vaged almost all Europe, and nearly one-half of the cats died 
of it. It produces cough, sneezing, running from the nose and 
eyes, with great wasting and weakness, and sometimes purging. 



DISEASES OF CATS. 177 

I never found but one remedy effectual for it in cats, and that 
was the popular Distemper Powder, universally known as my 
discovery. This remedy proves to cats even more certainly and 
immediately efficacious than it does to dogs, and should, there- 
fore, never be neglected. It may be given in smaller but 
repeated doses. 

Mange in Cats. — This is also not an uncommon com- 
plaint among cats, and is, with them, commonly obstinate and 
difficult of cure. It is easily detected, from the hair coming 
off, and the skin beneatli being covered with scabby erup- 
tions. There is little difference in the treatment of the dis- 
ease, to what is proper in dogs, except that cats bear mercu- 
rials better ; and I have ever found them not only salutary, 
but esscutially necessary to the cure. The common mercurial 
ointment, mixed with either of the two first formulae directed 
for mange in dogs, is a proper remedy. 

Consumption in Cats. — These animals are liable to 
consumptions of the lungs, of which I have seen numerous in- 
stances in them : very frequently, however, such weakness and 
emaciation arise from other causes. Worms, as before men- 
tioned, will sometimes produce them. Cats also, now and then, 
become tabid from diseased mesenteries, in the same way 
with puppies and monkeys. There is likewise, at times, a 
slow wasting observed, which is usually attributed to the 
animal's having eaten a rat ; but which, I believe, very often 
arises from the licking of paint, to which they are very 
liable ; for, in prowling about, they must frequently daub their 
coats or feet ; and, as we know they cannot bear any offensive 
matter about them, the paint is certain to be licked off. I 
am confident that this slow wasting is, in some instances, 
attributable to this source ; and which has been further proved 
by the benefit that has been derived from the use of calomel 
purges, with mercurial alteratives. Still, however, the most 

Q2 



178 DISEASES OF CATS. 

frequent cause of their consumptions or wastings arises from 

distemper. 

Cancer in Cats. — This is a much more appropriate 
term for a disease that exists in cats, than it is for what it has 
been applied to among dogs. — See the subject Cancer in 
Dogs, where this complaint in cats is described. 

Castration of Cats. — See this subject in Dogs, where 
the mode of it is described, and where also is detailed the 
manner of conveniently confining cats for auy operation re- 
quired. 



>ii n i i 



INDEX. 



%^BSCESS of the eyes, 61-very 
frequent in distemper, 51 — not 
unusual in madness also, 112. 

Age of the dog, how ascertain- 
ed, 8. 

Aloes, the best purgative for dogs, 
143. 

Alteratives for dogs, their nature, 
properties, and doses, 9. 

Asthma, 11 — causes, symptoms, 
and consequences, 12, 13 — 
treatment of it, 14. 

Astringents in general described, 
16 — particularly useful in loose- 
ness, 94 — Astringent injections, 
174 — Astringent clysters, 32. 

B 

Bag, or serotum, swelled and in- 
flamed, 158 — internally tume- 
fied from schirrous testicles, 
157-164. 

Balls, how to give them, 4. 

Bathing of dogs described, 16 — 
mode of it, and cases when re- 
quisite, 17, 13 — Washing not so 
salutary to healthy dogs as is 
supposed, 26, 168. 

Belly swelled, how to distinguish 
between pregnancy and dropsy, 
54. 

Bilious inflammation, 85 — Bilious 
colic, ib.-— Bilious vomiting, 160. 

Bitches, heat of, 21 — pregnancy 
of, 20 — how distinguished from 
dropsy, 54 — bringing forth, 148 
—when suckling, subject to a 
very fatal kind of fits, 75 — their 
teats liable to become inflamed, 
22 — often ends in schirrus, 157 
—injuries to the parts of gene- 

' ration, 155. 



Bladder, inflamed, 81. 

Bleeding, mode of it described, 
18 — cautions relative to it, 91. 

Blindness, various causes of it, 19. 

Blistering of dogs, mode of, and 
when required, 19. 

Bloody stools brought on by vari- 
ous causes, as distemper, 42— 
bilious colic, 85 — mineral poi- 
sons, 144 — and sometimes from 
mercurial applications licked off 
the body in cure of mange, 140. 

Bones, fractures of, 78 — additional 
hints how to detect them, 41. * 

Bones proper to be given to dogs, 
72 — exceptions to this, ib. 

Bowels, various affections of them, 
82 — Inflammation from rheu- 
matism, ib. 152— from obstruc- 
tion, 83 — from cold taken, 84 — 
from bile, 85 — from madness, 
120 — Spasmodic affections of 
them, 33 — a particular kind 
common to puppies, 151 — A pe- 
culiar affection appeared in the 
year 1805, 47 — liable to be 
greatly disturbed by mercury, 
140 — and other poisons, 144. 

Breeding among bitches, cautions 
and directions relative to it, 
21, 22. 

Bronchocele f 24. 



Calomel an excellent alterative, 10 
— a good emetic in particular 
cases, 59 — a useful application 
for diseases of the eyes, 63. 

Cancer in general, 25 — of the 
sheath and parts of generation 
in bitches, 166 — schirrus much 
more common than cancer, 155. 



180 



Index. 



Canker of the ear, internal, 26 — 
treatment, 27 — External canker, 
28 — rounding Sometimes used 
as a cure, 39 — Cankered tu- 
mour on the flap of the ear, 29. 

Castration, how performed, and 
when proper, 30 — of cats, and 
how performed, ib. 

Clysters, 31 — cases in which they 
are beneficial, 32 — a convenient 
medium for nourishment, ib. — 
mode of giving them, ib. — fur- 
ther use of them, 37— Astringent 
clysters, 32 — of great service in 
some cases, 95. 

Colic in general, 32 — spasmodic, 
33 — a particular kind appeared 
in 1805, 47 — a kind peculiar to 
puppies, 151. 

Condition of dogs, 34 — very neces- 
sary for sporting dogs, 35 — 
mode of getting them into con- 
dition, 36. 

Costiveness, its consequences, 36 
— mode of removing, ib. 83 — 
inflammation from it, 83. 

Coughs, various kinds, 37— causes, 
effects, and treatment, ib. — 
Cough of distemper, 42 — of 
asthma, 13. 

Cropping, how performed, 38. 

Crozvfig, a deadly poison to dogs, 
145. 

D 

Dew claws, 30. 

Diarrhoea, or looseness, 92 — treat- 
ment of it, 94— a common ac- 
companiment of distemper, 45 
— a bad kind occasioned by the 
use of mercurials, 140. 

Dislocations, 40 — often united 
with fracture, ib. — mode of de- 
tecting them, 41 — treatment of 
them, ib. 

Distemper, detail of it, 42-47 — 
treatment of it, 47-53— abscess 
in the eyes from it, 61 — popular 
distemper powder, 48. 



Diuretics, useful in dropsy, 55 — 
form of, 56. 

Dogs, their qualities, Introduction, 
i-1 — in anatomical structure they 
resemble the human, 1 — their 
diseases also bear a great ana- 
logy? 2 — this analogy not so 
striking in the operation of va- 
rious medicinal articles, 3 — 
mode of giving medicines to 
dogs, 4 — in sickness they require 
great care, 5 — nutriment proper 
for sick dogs, ib. — their irrita- 
bility very great, 6 — their age, 
how ascertained, 8 — licking 
their wounds erroneously sup- 
posed salutary, 31 — condition 
particularly necessary for sport- 
ing dogs, 34 — naturally subject 
to a costive habit, 36 — exercise- 
essentially necessary for their 
health, 59— how to teach them 
to exercise themselves, 60. 

Dogs, their breeding, 20—^capable 
of superfoetation, 22 — opinion 
on breeding from consanguinity, 
23 — pupping, 148 — rearing of 
puppies, 148-153. 

Dog-grass, the natural emetic for 
dogs, 58. 

Dressings for mange, 137, 138 — 
how performed, 140. 

Dropsy, 53 — of the belly, 54 — of 
the chest, 56 — of the skin, 57 — 
encysted, ib. — hydatids, 58 — 
Dropsy of the eyeball, 63. 



Ears, cropping of them, 39 — 
rounding them, ib. — Ears can- 
kered, 26— the flap swelled, 29. 

Emetics generally, 58 — excellent 
in asthma, 14 — useful in dis- 
temper, 47, 48, 53— calomel a 
good one in some cases, 59 — 
dog-grass the most natural one, 
68. 

Epidemics, distemper sometimes 
so, 44-46, 176-inflamed bladder 



Index. 



181 



proved so in 1810, 81— inflamed 
lungs also sometimes epidemic, 
90. 

Epilepsy, 73. 

Exercise of dogs, 59— great use of 
it, 60 — particularly useful in 
preventing an undue accumula- 
tion of fat, 65. 

Eyes, diseases of, 61— ulcer in, ib.— 
spurious ophthalmia, ib. — very 
common in distemper, 51 — 
true ophthalmia, 61 — cataract, 
62. 



Fatness, excessive, 64 — its conse- 
quences, and how to prevent it, 
65 — a common cause of asth- 
ma, 12. 

Feeding of dogs, 65 — physiology 
of digestion, 66 — excessive feed- 
ing productive of disease, ib. — 
various kinds of food, 67-72 — 
food proper in sickness, 5 — 
mode of administering it, 4-6 — 
clysters often a convenient me- 
dium of conveying nutriment in 
sickness, 32— nutritious feeding 
particularly necessary in dis- 
temper, 49 — feeding and exer- 
cise should be regulated in rela- 
tion to each other according to 
circumstances, 61. 

Feet, sore, 73. 

Fever, 73. 

Fits in dogs, their various kinds, 
73 — causes of them, 74 — very 
common in distemper, 45, 51, 
75 — often arise in otherwise 
healthy dogs, particularly in 
pointers, setters, and spaniels, 
from an excess of irritability, 
74 — a very fatal kind brought 
on in bitches who suckle, 149 — 
common to puppies, 148, 170 — 
a particular convulsive appear- 
ance dependent on spasmodic 
colic, 33 — worms a frequent oc- 
casion of fits, 170. 



Flap of the ear, swelled, 29. 

Fleas in dogs, how destroyed, 77. 

Fractures of the bones, with the 
mode of reducing them, 77— 
how detected, 40 — often united 
with dislocation, ib.— compound 
fractures,7 9— treatment of them, 
ib. — when imperfect union takes 
place, how consolidated again,i&. 

Fungous excrescences, 166. 



Greyhounds, condition particularly 
necessary for, 35 — distemper 
particularly fatal to them, 44 — 
exercise very salutary, 60. 

Glandular swellings, 80. 

G ravel f 80. 

H 

Hair, wire, such dogs very liable 
to be affected with mange, and 
such hair sooner becomes dis- 
coloured, 134. 

Hemorrhage, 80. 

Head, swelled, 81. 

Heat in bitches, 21. 

Husk, 81. 

Hydatids, 58. 

Hydrophobia, 81— a misnomer for 
rabies in the dog, 98 — an in- 
ternal preventive for, 127 — how 
it arises, 132. 

Hydrothorax, 56. 



Inflammation, 81. 

In/lamed bladder, 81. 

Inflamed bowels, 82 — from rheu- 
matism, ib. 152 — from obstruc- 
tion, 83 — from cold, 84 — from 
vitiated bile, 85 — specific kind 
of inflammation in rabies, 120 — 
inflamed from poisons, 144. 

Inflamed liver, 87. 

Inflamed lungs, 89. 



182 



Index i 



Inflamed stomach, 92 — from poi- 
sons, 144 — specific kind in ra- 
bies, 120. 

Irritability of dogs great in sick- 
ness, 6 — often productive of fits 
in healthy dogs, 74. 

Jaundice common to chronic in- 
flammation of the liver, 88— 
and to distemper, 45. 



Liquids, how to give them, 4. 

Liver, acute inflammation of, 87 
— chronic inflammation of, 88 
—a particular kind present in 
distemper, 45. 

Looseness, or diarrhoea, 92 — very 
common in distemper, 50 — a 
bad kind brought on by mercu- 
rials, 140-145. 

Locked jaw, 160. 

Lumbago, 96. 

■Lungs, inflamed, 89. 

3VT 

Madness, 96 — when first noticed, 
97 — errors with regard to the 
names it is kuown by, 93 — 
dangers arising therefrom, 99- 
100 — worming no preventive, 
100 — erroneous general opini- 
ons entertained relative to it, 
97-103 — symptoms of the ma- 
lady, 104-113 — instinctive dis- 
position to propagate the dis- 
ease among their own species, 
113— the mischievous disposi- 
tion towards man much over- 
rated, 115, 116, &c, &c.,&c. 
— morbid anatomy of rabid 
dogs, 117 — stomach filled with 
indigestible substances a strong 
characteristic of the disease, 
120 — unnecessary dread rela- 
tive to the dangers from mad 
dogs, 124 — extirpation a certain 
preventive in the human, 125 — 
reasons why it is less applicable 



to the brute, 126 — detail of an 
internal preventive, 127. 

Mange, 132 — its varieties, 134 — 
its anomalies, 135— treatment 
of it, 136 — frequently ends in 
dropsy, 53. 

Medicines, mode of giving, 4. 

Mercurials easily raise salivation 
in dogs, 10 — are apt to produce 
violent diarrhoea, or looseness, 
140-145. 

Milk in bitches, when not drawn 
off, apt to occasion schirrus,156. 

N 
Neck, swelled, 141. 
Nux vomica, a deadly poison to 
dogs, 145. 



Obstructions in the bowels, how 
to overcome them, 83 — clysters 
very useful for this purpose, 32. 

Opium, no poison to the dog, 145 
— an excellent remedy in asth- 
ma, 15. 

Ophthalmia, 62 — common in dis- 
temper, 51. 



Paint, dogs often poisoned by the 
lead in it, 145. 

Palsy, or paralysis, 141. 

Paralysis, or palsy, 141 — a com- 
mon accompaniment to many 
complaints, 33, 45, 152. 

Penis liable to be affected with 
fungous excrescences, or proud 
flesh, 166. 

Physic for dogs, 142. 

Piles, 143. 

Pointers and setters subject to fits 
in hunting, 74 — become splay- 
footed by confinement, 151. 

Poisons, 144— when necessary to 
destroy, crowfig the best, 145 — 
opium no poison to the dog, ib. 



Index, 



183 



— mode of detecting poison, ib. 
— treatment of poisoned cases, 
ib. — tobacco a frequent acci- 
dental poison, 139. 

Pregnancy, 20 — how distinguish- 
ed from dropsy, 54. 

Preventive against rabies, 127. 

Pugs have distemper badly, 44. 

Pulse in dogs, 147 — best detected 
by the breathing, ib. 

Puppies, 148—151 — diseases of, 
150 — their claws, 30, 100-many 
produce fits in the mother, 149, 
75— have a spasmodic colic, 34, 
151— -mode of cropping and tail- 
ing them, 39 — should be early 
accustomed to restraint, 151 — 
are injured by much confine- 
ment, ib. 

Pupping, 148 — when assistance 
requisite, 149 — Caesarean opera- 
tion, i'6. — bitches killed from 
rearing too many pups, ib. 

Purging, 92 — how treated, 93 — 
very common in distemper, 45 — 
a very dangerous kind brought 
ou by mercury, 140, 146. 

R 

Rabies, 151 — internal preventive 
for, 127. 

Rheumatism, 151 — its varieties, 
152 — causes of it, 153 — treat- 
ment of it, ib. 

Rickets common to puppies, 150, 
151 — in the wry-legged breed 
of terriers this deformity is pro- 
pagated, ib. 

Running round, a symptom of 
spasm in the bowels, 39. 



Salivation easily excited in dogs, 
10. 

Salt forms a good domestic eme- 
tic, 59 — a vermifuge also, 172. 

Schirrous tumours, 155— morbid 
appearance of these tumours, ib. 



— schirrous teats in bitches, 156 
— schirrous testicles, 157. 
Scouring in dogs, 92. 
Scrotum, inflamed, 158. 
Setons, 158 — not so beneficial as 

supposed in distemper, 51, 52. 
Setters and pointers, their condi- 
tion necessary to be attended 
to, 35 — setters most liable to 
internal canker, and pointers 
most to external canker, 60—? 
bitches will sometimes bring 
pointers and setters in the same 
litter, 22. 
Sickness, excessive, 159. 
Spaniels, long lived, 8 — subject to 

fits in hunting, 74. 
Spasm, varieties and treatment of, 
161 — spasmodic colic, 33 — the 
same in puppies, 151. 
Spaying, 161. 
St. Anthony's fire, 163. 
St. Vitus's dance, 163. 
Stomach, inflammation of, 92 — 
from poisons, 144 — specific kind 
in rabies, 120 — stomach, foul, 
159— when full of an indigestible 
mass, strongly characteristic of 
rabies, 120. 
Stone in dogs, 162. 
Sulphur overrated as an altera- 
tive, 11. 
Surfeit, 138, 163. 
Spellings, 164. 



Tailing of puppies, 39, 150. 

lapping of dogs for dropsy, 55. 

Tartar emetic the best general 
emetic, 59. 

Teats, schirrous swellings of them 
in bitches, 157 — mode of pre- 
venting them, 22. 

Testicles, diseased, 164: — swelled 
with schirrus, 157~mode of 
castration, 30. . 



184 



Index. 



Tenesmus, treatment of it, 143 — 
common in diarrhoea, 93 — often 
mistaken for piles, 143. 

Tetanus , or locked jaw, 160. 

Terriers, short lived, 9 — a wry leg- 
ged breed, 155. 

Tobacco, a frequent poison to dogs, 
139. 

Toes, affections of, 30 — sore from 
travelling, 73. 

Tumours in general described, 165. 

U 

Ulcerous affections in general, 165 
— of the eye, 61. 

Urethra in dogs, how placed, 162. 

Urine, bloody, 166, 16 — in bitches 
often a sign of cancered womb, 
25 — when evacuated by drops, 
a sign of inflamed bladder, 82. 



Vertigo, or turning round, often 



dependent on a particular affec- 
tion of the bowels, 33. 

Vitus, St., his dance, 163. 

Vomiting, excessive, 159— bilio*us, 
160— when the effect of poisons, 
144 — from inflamed stomach, 
92. 

W 

Warts, 163. 

Washing of dogs, 168. 

Water in the belly, how distin- 
guished, 54 — in the chest, 57. 

Wens, 157,169. 

Worming, 169 — no preventive 
against madness, 100. 

Worms, 170 — remedies for, 172 — 
occasion a particular colic, 33. 

Wounds in dogs, how treated, 173. 



Yard of the dog often affected with 
fungous excrescences, 166. 



J. Compton, Printer, Middle Street, 
Cloth Fair, London. 



